Where Can You See “Girl with a Pearl Earring”? A Guide to the Mauritshuis

The most recognized face in Dutch painting doesn't live in a vast, crowded gallery. *Girl with a Pearl Earring* hangs in the Mauritshuis, a small former palace in The Hague, and getting to stand in front of her is easier and more intimate than most people expect.

What is the Mauritshuis?

The Mauritshuis is a compact, jewel-box museum of Dutch Golden Age painting in the center of The Hague. It fills a graceful 17th-century townhouse, so the galleries are human-sized rooms rather than endless halls — you can see the whole collection in a couple of unhurried hours. That intimacy is part of the pleasure. Nothing here feels like a forced march.

Vermeer's girl is the museum's signature work and is almost always on view, though it does occasionally travel, so it's worth confirming with the museum before you build a trip around her.

What else should you see there?

Beyond the famous earring, the Mauritshuis punches far above its size. A few highlights worth slowing down for: - *Vermeer's View of Delft* — a luminous view of his hometown that Marcel Proust called the most beautiful painting in the world. - Carel Fabritius's The Goldfinch — a small, tender study of a chained bird, and the painting behind [the Donna Tartt novel](/blog/the-goldfinch-fabritius-painting-behind-the-novel). - Rembrandt's The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp — a young Rembrandt's breakthrough group portrait, all leaning heads and lamplight. - Paulus Potter's The Bull** — a life-sized young bull rendered with almost startling realism, once considered one of the great paintings of its age.

The collection ranges across Johannes Vermeer, Carel Fabritius, Rembrandt, Jan Steen, and Frans Hals — a concentrated tour of the Dutch 17th century with barely a weak picture in the building.

How does it compare to the Rijksmuseum?

The Mauritshuis is small and focused; the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is vast. If the Mauritshuis is a perfect chamber recital, the Rijksmuseum is a full symphony — hundreds of rooms, The Night Watch, The Milkmaid, and centuries of Dutch history under one roof. The two make a natural pair, and The Hague sits less than an hour by train from Amsterdam.

If you're planning the wider trip, our guide to discovering art in Amsterdam maps out the bigger museums. Confirm current hours, ticketing, and whether the girl is home before you go — small museums keep their own rhythms.

Not sure Dutch painting is your thing yet? Reacting to a few Vermeers and Rembrandts on DiscoverArt is a quick way to find out what actually pulls you before you book the flight — start with the feed and see who you keep coming back to.