Description of the attraction
Panorama Mesdag is a circular panorama in The Hague, depicting a 19th century fishing village on the seashore. It bears the name of its author, the Dutch artist Hendrik Willem Mesdach. Mesdah is one of the greatest Dutch marine painters, who received recognition during his lifetime. His paintings were successful, he headed various unions of artists. It was he, as a recognized master, who received an order in 1880 to make a panorama for a Belgian company.
Panorama was invented and patented back in the 18th century in Great Britain, but at the end of the 19th century, the fashion for panoramas flares up with renewed vigor in Belgium and France. Several businessmen from Brussels order Mesdahu "sea panorama of the Hague". A special building is being erected for the panorama - a 16-angle rotunda, which in itself is an excellent example of the industrial architectural style. The dimensions of the painting are 14 meters high and 114.5 meters long, the diameter of the hall is about 40 meters. A whole team of artists is working on the creation of the panorama, primarily Mesdakh's wife and his students. Sintier Mesdah van Hooten was a talented artist, she was called "Lady of the Hague School". When writing the panorama, the artists used not only their sketches and sketches, but also photographs, which at that time was a technical innovation.
In the center of the hall is a platform surrounded by sand imitating a sand dune. Imperceptibly, the scenery transforms into a picturesque canvas.
Unfortunately, the panorama was not very popular with the public, after a while the Belgian company-owner went bankrupt. Mesdah bought the panorama from them, considering it one of his most significant works. Later, a special fund was established, and numerous relatives of the artist, his children, grandchildren and cousins became the owners. The panorama is the private property of the family.
