Amsterdam - Dutch National Museum

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Description

(Local Name: Rijksmuseum) The world-famous museum of art goes back to the time of King Louis Napoleon who wanted to make Amsterdam a center for art and science. In 1809 he set up the Grand Musée Royal in his palace on the Dam. Works from the national museum in The Hague, which had been opened in 1798, and a few pieces belonging to the city (including Rembrandt's "Night Watch") formed the basis for this museum, which grew swiftly with the purchase of various collections. Soon the palace rooms could no longer hold all the works, so eight years after its foundation the National Museum was transferred to the Trippenhuis. More purchases and gifts over the next few years made another move inevitable. It was finally decided that a museum in neo- Gothic should be built on the Stadhouderskade (1877-85). The architect was P. H. J. Cuypers. Today the Rijksmuseum has about 7million works of art, including 5,000 paintings in over 250 rooms, a library with some 35,000 volumes and about 21,000 auction catalogues. Apart from its unique collection of old masters, it offers an exhaustive account of the development of art and culture in the Netherlands and is especially rich in old Dutch handicrafts, medieval Dutch sculpture and modern Dutch paintings. The Rijksmuseum is divided into several departments, of which only the collection of paintings on the first floor is open all day. The other departments can be visited alternately in the morning or the afternoon from approximately 1 pm. Details can be obtained by telephone.

Hobbies & Activities category: Significant work of art; Paintings, art collections; Architecture - Gothic; Major world-scale museum

Attractions within Dutch National Museum

Oriental Art

The visitor can see Chinese porcelain and objets d'art from India, Southeast Asia and the Far East. Japanese prints are to be found in the print room.

Sculpture and Handicrafts

The wide-ranging exhibition of liturgical robes, furniture, tapestries, jewelry, pottery, costumes, dolls' houses, Delft pottery, lace, snuff boxes, etc. presents a picture of life in various

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Rijksmuseum-Dutch History

This department displays paintings, model ships, flags, costumes, documents, curios and other items illustrating the political and military history of the Netherlands (altogether about 3,000

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Rijksmuseum-Painting Department

The painting department houses an outstanding collection of Dutch 15th to 19th C. masters (especially those of the 17th C., the heyday of Dutch painting). Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer, Jan Steen,

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Rijksmuseum-Print Room

The print room specializes in Dutch 16th and 17th C. and French 18th C. drawings and prints. In the library the visitor can be shown all the prints from the national collection, such as Rembrandt's etchings.

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