Dutch Gift

The Dutch Gift (Dutch poison) from 1660 was a collection of 24 mostly Italian Renaissance paintings and 12 classical sculptures, which was the English King Charles II offered as a donation to improve the political relations between England and the Republic of the United Netherlands.

The donation

Most works of art came from the collection Reynst which by brothers, Jan (1601-1646) and Gerrit Reynst (1599-1658) was mostly imported from Venice. These exhibits met the artistic taste of the English king. The gift was organized by a Commission of the States-General and the leadership of Andries de Graeff regent Cornelis and. The works of art were created by the sculptor Artus Quellinus and Gerrit van Uylenburgh, the son of Rembrandt's dealer Hendrick van Uylenburgh. The donation consisted of paintings by the Italians Titian (2 paintings), Raphael attributed to ( 1), Lorenzo Lotto ( 2), Paolo Veronese ( 1), Guido Reni (1 ), Andrea Schiavone ( 2), Giulio Romano (1 ) Parmigianino ( 1), Guercino ( 1), attributed to Giorgione ( 1), Giovanni Cariani (1 ) and of two paintings by Gerrit Dou as well as one of Adam Elsheimer and Pieter Jansz Saenredam.

Subsequently, the donation was a bone of contention between the various political factions in Holland. During the reign of Charles there was the collection in the Royal Collection. At the time of King William III shaft. the collection in the Dutch residence Het Loo was transferred. After his death in 1702 his widow Queen Anne tried to return the collection to England. This failed, and the collection is now in public museums in the Netherlands.