Rijksmuseum

Today in the Netherlands we commemorate and celebrate the abolition of slavery in the former Dutch colonies of Suriname and the Caribbean on 1 July 1863. Thirty-three years before, Surinamese artist Gerrit Schouten made this diorama (viewing box) of a Du. A Du is a type of role play with music and dance that was held on plantations. Both the performers and the audience were people held in slavery. The lead role was reserved for the afrankeri, the narrator (the woman on the far left). The man in the red outfit on the right represents the colonial authority. During the Du, enslaved people could vent criticism of this authority. Slave owners turned a blind eye to this to prevent uprisings on their plantations. 🖼️ Diorama of a Du, Gerrit Schouten, 1830 #rijksmuseum #amsterdam #ketikoti

No article of clothing could be more symbolic: the arms of the Dutch Prince Frederick Hendrick of Orange-Nassau are embroidered on the front, back, and sleeves. This ‘heraldic tunic’ was made for his state funeral in Delft on 10 May 1647. It was carried in the procession to demonstrate the Prince's status and rank. Four more of these tunics were worn by heralds, and a fifth, symbolizing the dead prince, was borne aloft on a pole. What is your most symbolic piece of clothing? 👕 Heraldic tunic from the House of Orange-Nassau, Johan Pietersz. Smout (attributed to), 1647 #rijksmuseum #amsterdam #historicalclothing

What do you think of when you see... plums? 🧺 For 17th-century viewers, it was immediately obvious. A basket full of plums carried by a woman? Erotic! To them, plums were an inexplicit sexual symbol. Together with her suggestively bare shoulder and her eyes, kept in shadow by the wide brim of the hat, the painting takes on an erotic charge. At least, for 17th-centenarians. 👒 🖼️ Woman in a Large Hat, Caesar van Everdingen, ca. 1645 - 1650 #rijksmuseum #amsterdam

What is your favourite spot in the Rijksmuseum? One of ours is definitely the Cuypers Library 📚 With around 450.000 books (!) it’s the largest art history library in the Netherlands. It’s named after Pierre Cuypers, the architect of the museum. #rijksmuseum #amsterdam #hiddengem

What do you think happens in this scene? 🤔 Did Rembrandt mean to paint an encouragement to praise God through singing and string music? Or is it a seduction scene with the old woman as a procuress? Either way, in this early work Rembrandt used elements from his own surroundings: his mother modelled for the old woman, and Rembrandt’s own features can be recognised in the young man. 🖼️Musical Company, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1626 #rijksmuseum #amsterdam #dailyart #rembrandt

This is no ordinary painting in Vermeer’s oeuvre. He applied some clever tricks to get your gaze exactly where he wanted it. It makes the composition as exciting as it is balanced. 🎨 Now where did he put his signature? 🖼️ View of Houses in Delft, Known as ‘The Little Street’, Johannes Vermeer, ca. 1658 #rijksmuseum #amsterdam #vermeer

What is this woman reading about? Could it have something to do with the map behind her? 🗺️ Luckily, a copy of this large map has survived (swipe!) It turns out to be a map of the Dutch provinces of Holland (where Amsterdam is located) and West Friesland. Compared to modern maps, the orientation is rotated by a quarter, which was quite normal at the time. At the bottom, just to the right of the centre, there’s a ‘cartouche’ (a framed shield with text) giving the scale of the map. Standing beside it is a man measuring distances with a pair of compasses. Fun fact: the exact same map is depicted in two other Vermeer paintings. Do you know which? 🖼️ Woman Reading a Letter, Johannes Vermeer, ca. 1663 🖼️ NOVA et accurata totius hollandiae westfrisiaecq. topographia, Balthasar Floris van Berckenrode, 1621, Westfries Museum #rijksmuseum #amsterdam #vermeer

What did you think of our Frans Hals exhibition? On behalf of merchant Pieter van den Broecke - wearing not only a beautiful, lace collar, but also a huge gold chain, symbolising his 17 years of service at sea - we would like to thank you for visiting! 🙏 We look back on a very successful exhibition full of playful variations in posture, facial expressions, hairstyles and clothing. Thank you to all the visitors from around the world, benefactors, sponsors, Friends, Patrons, followers and the wonderful Rijksmuseum team that made this exhibition happen. And, of course, to all the museums and private collections who lent their works! We will miss these beautiful paintings in our museum! 😍 🖼️ Pieter van den Broecke, Frans Hals, ca. 1633, Kenwood House, London #rijksmuseum #amsterdam #franshals

Virtuoso in Silver. Johannes Lutma was a German silver- and goldsmith who settled in Amsterdam in 1621. Lutma is known for his Baroque objects, like this ensemble for Joan van Hellemont, a prominent citizen of Amsterdam. It is richly adorned with marine gods and other beings, symbolising the riches of the sea and agriculture. The shapes of the ewer and basin express the same abundance. 🖼️Ewer and Basin, Johannes Lutma (1584-1669), 1647 #rijksmuseum #amsterdam #silverware

What’s going on with this painting? Wait a minute, are that..?! 😳 Yes, they are! Our conservators examined this painting with Macro XRF scanning and discovered that Pieter de Hooch initially painted another couple instead of a mother and child. Do they look familiar to you? These two also appear in De Hooch’s painting of a Dutch courtyard. And that’s not all. They appear in many more of his paintings. Did you already bump into them anywhere? 🖼️ A Mother Delousing her Child’s Hair, Known as ‘A Mother’s Duty’, Pieter de Hooch, ca. 1660 - 1661 🖼️ A Dutch Courtyard, Pieter de Hooch, 1658/1660, National Gallery of Art, Washington #Rijksmuseum #Amsterdam

The art of pointillism, take a step back and let the artwork come to life. 😍 In pointilism small strokes or dots of colour are applied so that from a distance they visually blend together. This style was ideally suited for this portrait of Marie Jeanette de Lange, a modern woman on the treshold of a new century in 1900. Marie Jeanette de Lange was the chair of the Association for the Improvement of Women’s Clothing, which propagated hygienic and comfortable garments allowing women greater freedom of movement. What do you think of this painting style? 🎨 🖼️Portrait of Marie Jeanette de Lange, Jan Toorop, 1900 #rijksmuseum #amsterdam

Home is wherever I lay my… helmet. Headgear abounds in The Night Watch. No fewer than nine guardsmen depicted in Rembrandt’s masterpiece wear helmets. Here are four of them—can you spot the others? 👀 🖼️ The Night Watch, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1642 #rijksmuseum #amsterdam #nightwatch