This panorama, the forerunner of cinema, presents an incredible 360-degree view of the old fishing village of Scheveningen in 1880
At the Panorama Mesdag Museum, you can admire an edifying collective work by Hendrik Willem Mesdag. This work is typical of the painting tradition in The Hague: a circular canvas, 14 m high and 120 m in circumference, set in a rotunda. It shows a view of the old fishing village of Scheveningen in 1881. The effect is all the more fascinating in that the Panorama enjoys a singular luminosity thanks to a glass roof whose light is absorbed and reflected by large white canvases, avoiding backlighting and unfortunate reflections. The painter Vincent van Gogh, present at the Panorama's opening, sighed: "There's only one fault, and that's that it's faultless".
Visionary artist, collector, businessman, important member of the Hague School and precursor of Impressionism, Hendrik Mesdag did not wish to bequeath his panorama to the state, fearing that it would soon be threatened with closure. The work and adjoining museum are still owned and managed by the family. An audio commentary explains the genesis of the painting and its significance. A guided tour behind the scenes of the panorama is also available on request, allowing visitors to walk just a few meters from the canvas and observe some funny details (a straw box, for example, is glued to the canvas). A beautiful, large hall and a restaurant have been added. Around 3 temporary exhibitions are organized each year.
Further information
Opening time and information on MESDAG PANORAMA
Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. 15 €, 7 € (4 to 11 years), 12 € (12 to 18 years).
Owner's Message
In 1880, Hendrik Willem Mesdag received the commission of a lifetime: to create a huge 360-degree painting of his beloved Scheveningen.
The panorama shows an impressive beach and seaside scene: a view of the sea, the dunes and the old fishing village of Scheveningen. In the center of the building that incorporates this panorama, an artificial dune has been created on a traffic circle. From a vantage point overlooking the dune, visitors will see the same panorama as if they were standing on the Seinpost dune, the highest dune in Scheveningen at the time.
The Mesdag panorama is one of the few remaining examples, and the oldest panorama in the world still in its original location. The panorama was inaugurated on August 1, 1881.
The 120-meter-circumference, 14-meter-high seascape is the largest painting in the Netherlands.
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