Among the most enduringly popular images in Western Art, these pictures have for centuries been admired for their harmonious compositions, close observation of detail, subtle light effects and meticulous finish.

The 51 outstanding examples selected for the exhibition embrace genre scenes, portraits, still lifes, history paintings, landscapes and seascapes. They include works by the great masters of the period, among them Rembrandt's jewel-like Christ and St. Mary Magdalene at the Tomb and his Portrait in a flat cap of 1642, luminous landscapes by Aelbert Cuyp, and Johannes Vermeer's enigmatic A lady at the virginals with a gentleman.