Is the Goldfinch Painting Real? Where Is It Now?

So you read the “The Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt and now wonder whether it is a real painting and where to find it? Read on to discover which museum shows The Goldfinch painting (yes, it is real) and why it doesn’t actually look like a goldfinch!

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Who painted The Goldfinch?

First, let’s look at some background information about The Goldfinch painting. In 1654, a Dutch artist named Carel Fabritius painted The Goldfinch. Fabritius was born in 1622 and a pupil of Rembrandt.

At first he worked in his studio in Amsterdam but later he became a member of the Delft School and developed his own artistic style. He liked to experiment with perspective and lighting but he died way too young at 32 years old in a gunpowder magazine explosion in Delft.

What does a Goldfinch look like?

Since we live in New Hampshire, we often see goldfinches on our feeder. So I thought I knew exactly what a goldfinch looked like and thus fore how to imagine The Goldfinch painting. Nope, I was so wrong!

I mean, the name implies its looks. Clearly, it has to be a golden or bright yellow colored finch. Or at least a subdued yellow as for the female. Close enough to a golden finch.

Fun fact: even the males turned significantly more ‘boring’ during the winter when there was no romancing going on.

Until our trip to The Netherlands (yes, that is where the painting is), I lived in the happiness of “knowing it all”. I had read the book, I had seen the bird, end of story. Well, apart from locating the painting.

Where to see The Goldfinch painting?

When we arrived in Den Haag (The Hague), staying at The Hague Hotel by Hilton (free on points, yay for travel hacking! 🙂 ) I was excited to find out that we were within walking distance of The Goldfinch painting. It lives in the Mauritshuis, museum together with many other famous paintings by masters like Vermeer, Rembrandt, Rubens and Frans Hals.

After a short and scenic walk to the Mauritshuis, we found out that Fabritius’ goldfinch didn’t look at all like our American goldfinch. Yeah, European birds often are different from their American cousins, even if they have the same name.

What does The Goldfinch painting look like?

So this goldfinch actually was a “puttertje”, also called European goldfinch…

The picture doesn’t do it justice, I recommend you go visit it yourself, it is just amazing. Even although it was different from what I imagined, I still was so happy to see this painting and experience it first hand. Just be prepared that ‘Het Puttertje’ is not what we expected as a ‘Goudvink’ (literal Dutch translation for goldfinch).

So was The Goldfinch Ever at the Metropolitan Museum of Art?

No, the book location never happened in real life, but The Goldfinch did make it to New York City. In 2014, when the Mauritshuis was closed for a renovation, they sent a select group of Golden Age paintings around the world.

After exhibitions in Tokyo, Kobe, San Francisco, Atlanta, The Goldfinch painting landed at the Frick in New York City. Coincidentally, the exhibition started the same day that Donna Tartt’s book was published and the exhibition attracted a record number of visitors.

Where else can you see The Goldfinch painting?

A few days later, we checked into the Waldorf Astoria in Amsterdam (Staying for free using Hilton Honor points!) When we arrived, we found out that their brasserie was “The Goldfinch” and has not only lots of pictures of goldfinches (or actually puttertjes) but also excellent food.

That night, we really enjoyed our brasserie dinner. Also, we found out that this restaurant has the same chef as the other restaurant in the hotel Spectrum which has two Michelin stars. Wow!

This was a great way to celebrate our new knowledge about The Goldfinch and locating the original painting. Combining art, birding and good food, what is not to love about it?

Conclusion: The Goldfinch Painting

As you can see, both the actual painting and the restaurant are worth a visit. If you read the book, you definitely should go see the painting! The Hague is a beautiful city to explore and as a bonus you can take an easy train ride to Amsterdam and have lunch in the renamed Brasserie The Goldfinch, now “The Peacock Alley”

Have you been to The Hague or Amsterdam? Have you seen this painting? Do you know any other paintings which inspired a book? Please share in the comments.

Helpful Links

• Het Mauritshuis. Review and information about this incredible museum. Includes visitor information like opening times and admission fees;
• Carel Fabritius. Wikipedia page about the painter of The Goldfinch;
• Find out Fun and Geeky Facts about Vincent van Gogh, another famous Dutch painter.
• Panorama Mesdag. An amazing, but not very well-known historic panorama not far from the Maurits House;
• Explore The Hague. Find out what things to do, sights to see in The Hague. The Hague is Holland’s government city, has many monuments, historic districts is located near the beautiful North Sea coastline. The Hague is also known as ‘the Royal City by the Sea’.
• Explore Scheveningen. If you like seaside towns, don’t miss this gem!
• Take a side trip to Zeeland and explore the best off the beaten path locations.
• You might be far from Rome, but there are two copies of the St Peter in Oudenbosch, an easy train ride from The Hague or Amsterdam.

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