16th century painting bought by museum

By Corine Knoester in the Netherlands:

LEIDEN – 30 June 2009 – The Lakenhal museum has acquired a precious painting. It is the Last Judgment, painted about 1530 by Aertgen Claeszoon van Leyden (1498-1564). This work is rather similar to the 1526 Last Judgment by Lucas van Leyden, which is also in the Lakenhal. People can already see the new acquisition in the museum. In 2011, it will be part of the exhibition “Lucas van Leyden en zijn tijd” which the Lakenhal will organize jointly with the Rijksmuseum and the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

The Lakenhal has been interested in this very expensive painting for many years. Now, they have been able to buy it from a United States private owner, because of subsidies from a private fund.

The museum had already borrowed this painting in 2000.