If you like art, you go to the Rijksmuseum while in Amsterdam.
We do, so we did! The museum is smaller than some we were at in France -- which was a very good thing! It was also filled with many beautiful works including the famous "Night Watch" by Rembrandt.
The Vermeers were my favorite. One of the nicest displays went through the procedure of restoration. They would follow one work of art from the museum, explaining the process on well-designed panels with good information.
Each display revealed in photos and words some of the processes involved in authenticating, cleaning and restoring great works of art.
At the end of the display was the real painting.
I also have a soft spot in my heart for this one. Years ago, my mother did a needlepoint of it, and it's one of the things I have from her that I treasure.
It probably wouldn't surprise anyone who knows me well that one of my favorite displays was of the Delftware.
I took several tight shots that I plan to use as collage backgrounds when I finally get around to putting my journal together.
If you click, you'll see all the photos in this post at a large size. You're welcome to use these or others in this post for your own art.
And one more!
There were some lovely decorative pieces.This tray would be a bear to clean but it was stunning on display.
And some favorite artists. Rick loved this Franz Hals. (It has a lute.)
I was very fond of this one...
...and this Rembrandt, too.
And this Warhol of the Queen was fun, too! (I think it was the Queen in her younger days, but to be honest, I'm not sure; I lost those notes!
A Delft coffee pot was lovely and graceful.
All in all, a splendid place to add to itinerary. If you are short on time, as we were, you may need to decide between this and the Van Gogh museum down the street. In some ways, I wish we'd gone to Van Gogh, simply because I love his work so much, but certainly the Rijksmuseum had a broader spectrum of art (and I got to see that Delft and the Vermeers -- and I wouldn't have traded that one for anything!)
Travel Tips
1) Get tickets online -- it saves the line!
2) It was crowded while we were there. Check around to see the times that are less busy.
21 comments:
This post brought back great memories of my somewhat blurry visit to the Rijksmuseum (the day we arrived in Amsterdam after an overnight flight with NO sleep). I enjoyed the Vermeer paintings very much too, especially since I had just read "Girl with a Pearl Earring." A couple of days later, we went to the Delft factory, and saw a large hand-painted tile version of Rembrandt's "Night Watch." Pretty cool!!
Pat K.
O I love this! Such a beautiful compilation of works by some of my faves. I'm a Vermeer fan and have seen a couple of his paintings at the Louvre and also one in Vancouver. After seeing your posts... so far, I know I must go visit Amsterdam. If you're interested, you may like to take a look at my post Inspired by Vermeer just thought you might find it amusing. :)
Hello Jeanie,
lovely pictures from the museum and Amsterdam in your last post.In the Netherlands there are beautiful old towns and ugly modern ones, too.I seldom saw a country with such contrasts. But I love going to the Netherlands, especially to the historical old cities, of course. And I like all the water around..the thousands of channels are great. And the Dutch big markets, where you can find a lot of marvellous things...among other things a lot of cheap wonderful fabrics.....And they have marvellous furniture shops with great accessories.And of course I love the lovely beaches there!!
Best wishes
Iris
Hi Jeanie, I really enjoyed your photos from your Amsterdam trip. Great pic. We took the train from Paris to Amsterdam and then back. Spent two nights there. All the museums and Keukenhof to see the tulips and daffodils. Worth the effort to get there. I loved the Rijksmuseum. Night Watch and The Girl with the Pearl Earring two of my favorites. I really enjoyed the Delf display in the museum and shops! I enjoy your travel post so much.............
~Emily
The French Hutch
My Krista would have been at the Van Gogh museum in a cold New York minute. I would have have been at the Riks...... The Vermeers are gorgeous.
We did both museums in one day when we were there several years ago. I am glad we went to the Van Gogh first, I did really enjoy it. I think I was to tired of looking once we got to this museum. Those close up shots remind me of tapestries my piano teacher had when I was young. I just loved imagining stepping into the scenes. They would be fun for journals and artwork.
I would have taken the Rijksmuseum over the Van Gogh in a minute - I'm a great fan of variety, and I discovered when the Impressionist/Post-Impressionist exhibit came to town last year that the Van Goghs were among my least favorite.
And while I'm not a fan of Delftware generally, that coffee pot is gorgeous, as is the Queen. I can't even imagine your mother's needlepoint of that Vermeer. I've done some needlepoint, but nothing that would require that degree of dedication - and good eyesight! More detail requires many more stitches - good for her. You should post a photo of it sometime.
Such a wonderful post. You surely do know how to travel!
Choosing between those two museums must have been agonizing! Besides the awe-inspiring collection of paintings in the Rijksmuseum, I've always loved their doll houses -- did you get to see them?
There's never enough time to do it all. Now you'll have to go back to see the Van Gogh museum - too bad.
WHen I was in Amsterdam I was 18 and not interested in art so didn't go there, I surely would if I ever went there again. Vermeer is one of my favourites, and my mother did a needlepoint of that same painting as well many years ago but has never had it framed.
wow, the angel sculpture is amazing. I am always mystified by the talent of people.
Like the comment above, I also really liked the angel sculpture. I would have liked seeing the Delftware....my best friend who died several years ago was a collector and I would have liked seeing it for her. As usual, your photos of all you saw are really wonderful.
You certainly do your travelling in style: culture all the way. So much moe interesting than just running about 'doing the sights'. You get to know a lot about a country from visiting their best museums
I love the Frans Hals..
Such lovely art. I'm glad to see that restoration turned out better than the impromptu one recently done in Italy! And the coffee pot at the end is beautiful! Can you just imagine pouring your morning coffee from something like that!
I like Delftware, too.
Maybe you could take a photo of your mother's needlepoint and share. I'm sure it's lovely.
I would have enjoyed seeing the information about the restoration process. To see paintings in person that you have seen only in reproduction had to be an incredible experience.
I love following you on your travels - so interesting!
Hi Jeanie - A note for your readers: the Van Gogh Museum currently is closed for renovation and certain Van Gogh paintings are housed at L'Hermitage. The Girl with the Pearl Earring is in The Hague and only two Vermeers currently are at the Rijksmuseum (the others are on loan to museums elsewhere). So you were here at exactly the right time to see Vermeer's work! Much of the Rijksmuseum is also under renovation, but two Vermeers, many Rembrandts and of course The Night Watch are all on display. A friend and I walked right in without tickets around lunchtime last Friday, so often visitors can get in the museum without waiting in line (and without tickets online). The Anne Frank Museum is the one where online tickets are a must, if possible. Otherwise, best to get there very early in the a.m., before it opens and stand in line or go late in the day.
Oh, yes, adding Rijksmuseum to our list of must-see-some-day list! I've always loved Vermeer, so lovely to hear your impressions on seeing them. As well as all the beautiful Delftware! Blue & white porcelain...*swoon*... Ordering tickets online is what we do now too, it does save so much time. And some museums have late hours on certain/one day of the week, which makes for less crowded art-viewing conditions. :o) Your Europe post are giving me wanderlust, Jeanie! LOL... Happy Days ((HUGS))
Such a great museum. These series of posts make me want to go to Amsterdam! I love the Deltware. That blue and white is such a stunning combination!
Oh how I ache to travel again. But hopefully I pass my final CFA exam next June and can be Europe-bound in 2014. Time flies so I know that will come very fast!
Yep seen them all. And about your notes....that is our Queen in her younger years.
Again glad to read you enjoyed it sooooo much.
Dagmar
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