The Girl in the Golden Dress
Rembrandt’s 'The Night Watch' is the number one attraction at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. But, when you take a good look at this painting, what do you actually see? Hidden among all the fine gentlemen, there is a girl. The story that Schutten tells about her takes young readers on an appealing journey to the world of Rembrandt and his best-known work.
‘Is my collar right? Does my hair look good? Is my hat on straight?’ The men of the shooting company are feeling a little anxious. Rembrandt is painting all of them, but who’s going to be the star? Anyone who is familiar with the painting will know that one person ends up in the spotlight: the sweetest member of the company, the girl in the golden dress, who is at the heart of author Jan Paul Schutten’s simple but very effective story.
Illustrator Van der Linden employs visual references to The Night Watch and other paintings in his dramatic presentation of the Amsterdam of the Golden Age. This book offers a perfect glimpse into history.
Publishing details
Het meisje met de gouden jurk (2012)
28 pages
Publisher
Rubinstein
Jan Paul Schutten (b. 1970) is one of the Netherlands’ most celebrated writers of non-fiction for children. His work, in which the emphasis is on history, nature and science, has twice been awarded the Gouden Griffel for the best children’s book of the year.