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Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Rijksmuseum tips and photos posted by real travelers and Amsterdam locals.

Stadhouderskade 42
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• 216 Reviews

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Rijksmuseum: Rijksmuseum - The Masterpieces I - Ground Floor
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  • breughel
  • Updated By breughel on April 11, 2009
  • Amsterdam Page by breughel
  • Model of Dutch
    Model of Dutch "Man-of-War"
    1698
    by breughel
    It should be said that during the works at the Rijksmuseum (until 2012 according to last press news) only a small part of the collections are on display. On my previous visits the full collection did take me all the day, now with only 400 pieces the visit took me less than 3 hours.

    On display are only the highlights of the Dutch Golden Age (17th. c.).
    The two first rooms on the ground floor show the history of the Republic of the Seven United Provinces and the growth of the country to a world power thanks to its trade and fleet. As example of this maritime power is a 4 m. long model from 1698 of a 74 gun warship the "William Rex". (photo 1)
    Room 3 shows the famous Doll's Houses, rooms 4 and 5 show silverware and Delftware.
    Remembering my previous visits, what is now on display is less than 20% of the original historic and decorative arts collections.

    Open each day 9 - 18 h., Friday 9 - 20.30 h.
    Price: free up to 18 yr. From 19 yr : 11 €. With Museum card : free
    Tickets can be bought online.

  • Phone: +31-20-6747047
  • Website: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl
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    Rijksmuseum: Rijksmuseum - The Masterpieces II - Paintings.
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  • breughel
  • Updated By breughel on April 11, 2009
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  • Still life by Willem Claesz. Heda - Amsterdam
    Still life by Willem Claesz.
    Heda
    by breughel
    Paintings are on the first floor; only the 17th. c. Golden Age is on display.
    The 15th, 16th and 18th c. paintings have been left aside. Also the 19th. c. Dutch school is stored somewhere what is a real pity because the Romantic school landscapes (Koekoek, Springer) and the excellent Dutch Impressionist Den Haag and Amsterdam schools (Maris, Mauve, Breitner, Israëls) are not shown.
    The favourites are the Rembrandts, the "Night Watch" of course and two more rooms with paintings from him. Frans Hals and Jan Steen are present. My preference goes to the Vermeers and Pieter de Hoogh with his so called "keyhole views".
    Some of the best Dutch Landscapes and Still Life paintings are on display. I always liked the still life with cheeses, a genre which was called "ontbijtgen" (breakfast) as well as the famous still life with gilt goblet from Willem Claesz. Heda.
    (The -sz. found in Dutch names of that time is an abbreviation for -szoon = son of).

    Again remembering my previous visits it seems to me that not more than 25% of the original collection of paintings is now on display.
    It is an opportunity to visit the Amsterdams Historisch Museum where there is a good collection of Dutch paintings.

    Open each day 9 - 18 h., Friday 9 - 20.30 h.
    Price: free up to 18 yr. From 19 yr : 11 €. With Museum card : free
    Tickets can be bought online.

  • Phone: +31-20-6747047
  • Website: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl
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    Rijksmuseum: Rijksmuseum III - Beautiful child portrait.
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  • breughel
  • Updated By breughel on April 11, 2009
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  • Girl dressed in Blue
    Girl dressed in Blue" on the
    Rijksmuseum facade.
    by breughel, 1 more photos
    I discovered this portrait from Johannes Cornelsz. Verspronck "Portrait of a Girl dressed in Blue" (1641) at my first visit at the Rijksmuseum at the beginning of the nineties.
    I got very much impressed by her gentle somewhat melancholic smile.
    This girl about ten years old must be of a wealthy family according to her dress and jewels. It should be noted that in that time children were considered as mini adults and girls dressed like adult women.

    J. Verspronck, as always in his portraits, painted with a perfect depiction of the tissues and the details. Look at the very fine blond hair of the girl, the dark blue eyes and the red cheeks.

    I always found that this portrait expressed much tenderness and emotion.

    When I saw that the museum curator had chosen a large reproduction of my favoured portrait of a "Girl dressed in Blue" to hang on the façade of the Rijksmuseum building I felt very pleased.

    I don't know who she is. This wonderful portrait hangs in room 7.

    Open each day 9 - 18 h., Friday 9 - 20.30 h.
    Price: free up to 18 yr. From 19 yr : 11 €. With Museum card : free
    Tickets can be bought online.

  • Phone: +31-20-6747047
  • Website: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl
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    Rijksmuseum: New Rijksmuseum to open in 2012 - 2013 !!!
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  • breughel
  • Updated By breughel on April 11, 2009
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  • Works at the Rijksmuseum. - Amsterdam
    Works at the Rijksmuseum.
    by breughel
    Amateurs and connoisseurs of Dutch Fine Arts expected the New Rijksmuseum to open in 2009. The Dutch press announces that the opening will only be in the summer of 2010!

    "Opening Rijksmuseum weer later
    AMSTERDAM - Het vernieuwde Rijksmuseum gaat pas na de zomer van 2010 open."

    What is on display nowadays " the masterpieces special" is only a small part of the magnificent collections of the Rijksmuseum.

    On a recent visit (ref. my tips hereafter) I visited the "masterpieces" now on display.
    It was confirmed to me by technical personnel that the new museum would not open before end of 2010.
    Fortunately I visited on several occasions the Rijksmuseum before the works started.

    The present entrance is on the right side of the building.
    There is a fast lane for e-tickets and museum card owners but … as there is only one safety check at the entrance of the building everybody has to follow the same queue.
    I arrived at 9.15 and there was nobody in front of me! The early visitors of 9.00 h were already in and the groups had not yet arrived. Furthermore I was told that Wednesday was a less crowded day.

    Open each day 9 - 18 h., Friday 9 - 22 h.
    Price: free up to 18 yr. From 19 yr : 11 €. With Museum card : free
    Tickets can be bought online.
    ---------------------------------------------------------
    A new delay is announced in the Dutch press:
    "De verbouwing van het Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam loopt circa twee jaar vertraging op. Door problemen met de aanbesteding kan de culturele instelling pas eind 2012 of begin 2013 de deuren heropenen." (De Volkskrant 26/02/2008).
    OPENING END 2012 BEGIN 2013.

  • Phone: +31-20-6747047
  • Website: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl
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    Rijksmuseum: If a rainy day should interrupt your outdoor tour
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  • Upstate1NY
  • Updated By Upstate1NY on December 26, 2005
  • Amsterdam Page by Upstate1NY
  • Dry dock model - Amsterdam
    Dry dock model
    by Upstate1NY
    The Rijkmuseum is a TERRIFIC place to absorbe some history, you can even see a "Rembrandt" or two.
    BUT this being the Netherlands, and the Dutch being sailors, and ships being the "stuff" sailors use, ships, actually SHIP MODELS et al are the "order of the day".
    Yes there are MANY other things to see, but if your "into boats" the way I am "into boats", you will be happy with MANY of the displays. Not just ships, and boats but the mechinisms that make them work, work better, repair them, build them from "scratch". Many of the models looked like they could have been "patent" models. Full, working, detailed models that are offten required to get a patent issued.
    The pictrue I choose to use with this tip is a model of a dry dock that is being used to build a ship. This is VERY detailed but probably was not a patent model, thought it may have been built as a "sales aid" to get investors interested in a project.

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  • Phone: +31-20-6747047
  • Website: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl
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    Rijksmuseum: The Rijksmuseum
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  • codrutz
  • Updated By codrutz on December 27, 2004
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  • Rijksmuseum - Amsterdam
    Rijksmuseum
    by codrutz
    The Rijksmuseum (National Museum) is the largest museum in Netherlands (largest building, largest collection, largest staff and largest budget).

    Unfortunately for the moment (from December 2003 to 2008) the Rijksmuseum is undergoing the biggest rebuilding and renovation works in its history. For visitors there is only a fraction of the total visit open to the public, and that is called The Masterpieces, offering a unique view on the 17th century grace period of the Netherlands. I've been told by VT member irisbe that most of the exibits were moved for the duration of the renovation works in Antwerp at "Rijksmuseum aan de Schelde" exibition. Thanks for the info Dannie!

    About the building of the Rijksmuseum: It was built in 1885 by the architect P.J.H. Cuypers, in red brick, in the Neo-Gothic style, having more than 260 rooms.

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  • Phone: +31-20-6747047
  • Website: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl
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    Rijksmuseum: Tickets online
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  • Nemorino
  • By Nemorino on July 31, 2006
  • Amsterdam Page by Nemorino
  • 1. Rijksmuseum and Museumplein - Amsterdam
    1. Rijksmuseum and Museumplein
    by Nemorino, 1 more photos
    With a bit of advance planning it is now possible to order and print tickets for the Rijksmuseum online, so as to avoid waiting in line for tickets at the entrance. (Click on the link below for details of this.)

    At this writing parts of the Rijksmuseum are closed for rebuilding, renovation and modernization. But this process is being spread out over several years, until 2009, and it's a big museum so there will always be more than enough to see whenever you go there, particularly paintings by the great masters of the 17th century.

    The museum is open every day from 9:00 to 18:00, Fridays till 22:00.

    Second photo: Entrance to the Rijksmuseum.

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  • Phone: +31-20-6747047
  • Directions: On the Museumplein.
  • Website: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl
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    Rijksmuseum: Delftware in Rijksmuseum
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  • codrutz
  • Updated By codrutz on August 15, 2004
  • Amsterdam Page by codrutz
  • Delft Porcelain Violin - Amsterdam
    Delft Porcelain Violin
    by codrutz
    From the nearby city of Delft, where the famous blue porcelain pottery factories are, the Room #5 in the actual Masterpiece exibition of the Rijksmuseum, I was impressed by this porcelain violin (see picture).

    In fact, it is not a real musical instrument, the violin is purely ornamental, but what a beauty. Dated arround 1705-1710, the design on the front of the violin shows a ballroom and a gallery in which the musicians are playing their instruments. The scene on the reverse in set in a tavern.

    Beside this violin you can find in the Delftware collection of Rijksmuseum other big pieces of pottery, ones like painted carpets, but made of porcelain.

    Tip: For more porcelain and to visit a real factory, you must visit the actual Delft city

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  • Phone: +31-20-6747047
  • Website: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl
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    Rijksmuseum: A relaxing break in the day ....
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  • kymbanm
  • By kymbanm on February 21, 2005
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  • Museumplein - a wonderful park ... - Amsterdam
    Museumplein - a wonderful park
    ...
    by kymbanm
    Museumplein is a park next to the Van Gogh Museum, and behind the Rijksmuseum .. both attractions in their own rights. But the park is a nice break in the artsy day - outdoors, locals playing and relaxing, gellato, coffee kiosks, and such.

    It was nice to take a snack break here and just watch the world go by ... especially since a museum day is filled w/ too many people heading in the same direction as yourself :) Sometimes, a bit of respite is needed before you attack the next spot on the tourist map!

    The sun was warm, children were playing in the reflecting pool, and others were playing frisbe on the grass .... just a nice place to take a break from being a typical, on-the-go, tourist .....

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    Rijksmuseum: Rembrandt van Rijn
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  • codrutz
  • By codrutz on August 15, 2004
  • Amsterdam Page by codrutz

  • "Rembrandt's Mother"
    by codrutz
    Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn is certainly the most famous 17th century painter of Holland. He was born in 1606 in Leiden and died in 1669, after building up considerable debts. He's body is buried in Amsterdam's Westerkerk.

    In Amsterdam you can also find Rembrandt's House (Rembrandtshuis), the house in which Rembrandt lived and worked from 1639 till 1658.

    The picture shows the 1631 masterpiece of Rembrandt - The Prophetess Anna (known as "Rembrandt's Mother). Like all the paints of Rembrandt, the main style feature is the light coming from behind her, touching her oriental dress and bringing into attention the hand of the old lady.

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  • Phone: +31-20-6747047
  • Website: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl
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