News | 2 June 2025
Museum De Lakenhal opens search for Rembrandt’s enigmatic contemporary
An exhibition presenting international research into a mysterious master
From 11 October 2025 to 8 March 2026, Museum De Lakenhal will present Masterful Mystery – On Rembrandt’s Enigmatic Contemporary. This exhibition brings together the most important paintings by the unknown but very talented 17th-century artist known as Master I.S. Many of these works – with their raw, almost hyperrealistic faces – will be on public display for the first time ever. They will be shown alongside the work of other Leiden masters, such as Rembrandt, Jan Lievens and Gerrit Dou.
Unknown master
Master I.S.’s oeuvre consists largely of so-called tronies: depictions of faces, often using models from the artist’s own surroundings. This anonymous contemporary of Rembrandt’s painted with an eye for detail and psychological depth. The artist, who signed paintings with just the letters I.S., is thought to have lived in Leiden at some point. This oeuvre shows strong parallels with the work of other Leiden masters, such as Rembrandt, Jan Lievens and Gerrit Dou.
On show for the first time
Museum De Lakenhal has joined forces with Serlachius Museums in Finland to gather Master I.S.’s most important paintings from national, international and private collections. Many of these paintings have rarely or never been seen before. The exhibition presents the most important works, including new attributions and discoveries, to be exhibited alongside works by the aforementioned contemporaries.
Extensive research
Underlying the exhibition is extensive research into this master’s work and identity, led by curators Janneke van Asperen (Museum De Lakenhal) and Tomi Moisio (Serlachius Museums), in collaboration with experts from Radboud University in Nijmegen and the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam. This artist’s oeuvre, which probably comprises 25 to 30 paintings, has never been studied before. The outcomes of this research will also form the basis of the publication accompanying the exhibition.
Universal power
‘There are other 17th-century artists whose names have been lost to history, but rarely is the work of an anonymous painter so exceptional in terms of theme and quality,’ explains Janneke van Asperen, curator of Old Masters at Museum De Lakenhal and of this exhibition. ‘This artist does not idealise, but presents us with a raw reality. Each painting instantly evokes an entire life. The work has universal power and modern appeal, even though it was painted four centuries ago. The body of work this artist left us may be small, but its eloquence is unprecedented.’
Practical information
This exhibition is on show at Serlachius Museums in Mänttä, Finland, from 12 April to 17 August 2025. From there it will travel to Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden, where it will be on display from 11 October 2025 to 8 March 2026. In Finland, the story of Master I.S. has already been described as ‘one of the great mysteries of 17th-century Dutch art’.
Made possible by
The exhibition Masterful Mystery – On Rembrandt’s Enigmatic Contemporary has been made possible thanks to support from the City of Leiden, Mondriaan Fund, Turing Foundation, Blockbuster Fund, Cultuurfonds, Lucas van Leyden Patronage, Zabawas Foundation and DutchCulture.