In the centre of the gallery, not far from the entrance when I walk in, hangs a portrait by Rembrandt of his wife, Saskia. She’s young, 23 or so, dressed as a goddess of spring, garlanded with flowers and leaves. Her expression is alert, her mouth open in what seems to be surprise.
Appropriate enough, in a way, given that she isn’t in Room 22 in the National Gallery in London, her usual perch, but 200 miles away in the blossom-strewn hillsides of Powys, mid-Wales. This restorative springtime break at the tiny Oriel Davies Gallery in Newtown is courtesy of the NG’s Masterpiece Tour project, which sends cherished paintings from the collection out to far-flung corners of the UK.
