Whitehaven's Beacon Museum to exhibit Rembrandt masterpiece

Saskia van Uylenburgh had been married to Rembrandt for a year when he painted this portrait

A priceless Rembrandt masterpiece is to be shown at a museum in Cumbria.

The Beacon in Whitehaven will host the work Saskia van Uylenburgh in Arcadian Costume from September.

As part of its Masterpiece Tour the National Gallery in London loans a major work from its collection to three venues outside the capital each year.

Beacon customer and visitor experience manager Heather Holmes said it was a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see an artwork by a true Dutch master".

The scheme normally sees new regional venues chosen each year, but the Beacon Museum is on its second of a three-year arrangement.

Last year it exhibited Jean-Simeon Chardin's House of Cards and in 2023 it will show Workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio's Tobias and the Angel.

It is the first time partner museums have been selected for a three-year period.

Jean-Simeon Chardin's House of Cards visited the museum in 2021

Saskia van Uylenburgh in Arcadian Costume, showing the artist's wife dressed as Flora, the Roman goddess of spring and fertility, was painted in 1635, when she was 23 and they had been married a year.

The National Gallery's director, Dr Gabriele Finaldi, said its pictures were "for all to enjoy".

He said: "We are delighted to be working closely with our partners in Whitehaven to devise engaging displays and programmes around this great painting."

Museums applying to host works through the Masterpiece Tour must meet certain criteria, such as having appropriate insurance, security and environmental controls.

The National Gallery will also consider the demographics of the area and how far it is from museums and galleries of national importance.

Between 2021 and 2023 the The Beacon Museum will share three works with Carmarthenshire County Museum and Oriel Davies, Newtown, Powys.

The Rembrandt will be on show from 24 September until 8 January.