A clamour to see "Meisje met de parel"

...aka "Girl with a pearl earring". (Showing off my Dutch, or lack of - I copied this from the postcard!)

About a month ago (a bit behind with my blipfotos) we went, with some friends from England, to the Mauritshuis, which opened again recently, after a lengthy refurbishment. For those unaware, the Mauritshuis is also know as the Royal Picture Gallery and houses a large collection of Dutch and Flemish masters from the 17th and 18th centuries. Vermeer's 'Girl with a pearl earring' is but one of the collection on show but she is somewhat the star of the show.

I took this picture to capture the clamour surrounding the painting - nowhere else in the gallery was there such a crowd so desperate to get a glimpse of something. Grace, of course, was very unimpressed by it all. Lucky three-year old that she is (being in the presence of old masters at such a tender age!), she exited the gallery after a short while, with Daddy, on the promise of an ice cream!