On the second floor, another strong point of the museum in the form of Dutch and Flemish paintings. The collection begins with large portraits of Van Dyck and canvases by Rubens, followed by a series of Dutch interior paintings grouped in one place, which provokes comparisons. The works of Vermeer are the easiest to recognize, though The Woman with the Pearl Necklace is not one of his most successful works. Better is the picture A man and a woman drinking wine, where the artist used his favorite technique of placing the furniture diagonally in the central plan and illuminating the whole with daylight from the window. A similar technique was used by de Hooch in Weighing Gold, but more complex, both in terms of composition and in terms of moral significance, there is the Mother, a wonderful example of Dutch interior painting in its most perfect form.
In the following rooms, the development of Dutch art was traced on the example of Maes' works. Terborcha, Two, Jan Steen and Frans Halsa. as well as Rembrandt, whose harvest in Dahlem is perhaps the largest in the world. It turned out recently, that the most famous of his works in this museum, The man in the golden helmet, was not made by the master himself, but by artists from his studio, however, this does not diminish the elegance and power of the portrait, where the sadness is balanced by the glow emanating from the helmet. Other master's works, whose authenticity is no longer in doubt is the Self-Portrait z 1634 year, when the artist was at the height of fame and wealth; Saskii portrait, the artist's wife, made in the year of her death; warm and imbued with love Portrait of Hendrickje Stoffełs, later life companion of Rembrandt, with whom he did not have a formal marriage, and numerous religious works. In subsequent painting exhibition halls, you can admire the works of Goya, Caravaggio (Cupid's victory, the picture is imbued with symbolism and humorousism), Poussin and Lowain and, at the end, a series of works by Canaletto.
Other collections and monuments
If you've just spent your morning wandering around the picture gallery, it's high time to head to the underground café. Alternatively, go to the sculpture courtyard adjacent to the painting gallery on the upper floor; mainly works by German artists are exhibited there, and the best are medieval collections, containing virtually everything, from simple devotional items to complex sculptures covered with polychrome, including works by Tilman Riemenschneider and Hans Multscher. There is also a great exhibition dedicated to the Byzantine Empire and the early Christian era, as well as works of the Italian Renaissance, especially Donatello.
A visit to the ethnographic department of the Dahlem museum is worthwhile. The rich and exhaustive collections from Asia and Polynesia are displayed with unusual inventiveness and panache. Look out for the brilliantly lit sailing boats from Polynesia. The collection also includes Islamic art, Asian art, East Asian and Indian, so you will surely find something, what you like.
At Im Winkel 6 (a short distance from the main complex, marked with arrows) there is the German Ethnographic Museum Museum fur Deutsche Volkskunde, (wt.-nd. 9.00-17.00; Free entrance), static and quite boring collections of furniture, tools and costumes from the 16th century on. On the other hand (Turn left from the U-Bahn station and walk to Kónigin-Luise-Strasse) rises St.. Annenkirche, a beautiful brick church dating from 1220 year. If it's open (theoretically, it should be open on Mon., under. and Wed. 14.00-17.00; but in fact not always) come over, to look at the baroque pulpit and gallery as well as the carved wooden altar. If you feel an excess of cultural impressions, catch the bus # 1 or # 68 north-east to the botanical garden (Königin-Louise-Str.. 6-8; codz. from 9.00 until sunset; admission. 2.50 DM, students 1.20 DM), in whose magnificent greenhouses you will find every plant, what you dream about. The garden also includes some charming gardens and an uninteresting Botanical Museum (wt. i czw.-nd. 10.00-17.00, Wed. 10.00-19.00; Free entrance).