The museum has an extensive collecion of Delftware, sculptures, archeological artifacts, clothing, Asian art, prints, items of Dutch maritime history and many other culturally significant objects all combining to retell 800 years of Dutch history within a global context. Besides the building the museum gardens were redone and make it an ideal place to sit and relax and enjoy the magnificent surroundings.
( Those were featured in an earlier blog when we were just exploring the area around the museum).
I'm only going to pick out a few pieces of art that I saw in the museum. Pictures don't do them justice.
This is one of Frans Hals - A Militiaman Holding a Berkemeyer known as the "Merry Drinker". Of course that would be one of my favorites - ha!
This is Rembrandt's son in a Monk's Habit. He portrayed him with downcast eyes and wearing a Francisican habit. The rules of this monastic order prescribed a ife of poverty and humility.
The Staalmeesters again by Rembrandt.
Issac and Rebecca, known as The Jewish Bride. It was common for people to have themselves portrayed as historical personages.
The famous Night Watch. This is an enormmous painting and is lit from above. As you walk into the large room this picture is on the back wall - most impressive. This is a smaller version of the picture. I couldn't capture the entire painting with the camera unless I got so far away so I elected to take a picture of this smaller version.
Militia Company of District VIII under the command of Captain Roelof Bicker by Bartholomeus van der Helst. This is another giant painting. It almost covered an entire wall in the large hall of the Kloveniersdoelen.
I took pictures of some of the individual faces because they could almost be pictures.
These just show some of the interior of the building.
The Dutch Republic owed its prosperity to the sea - to its merchant fleet and fishing. Conflicts with rival powers were also fought at sea. After a ruinous war with England (1652-1654) the Republic built up a professional navy which repeatedly went into action with great success. Under the command of admirals such as Cornelis Tromp and Michiel de Ruyter, great naval battles were waged agains the English, French and Swedish fleets. Their victories made them national heroes and provided marine painters with a rich source of inspiration.
Model of the William Rex. This model shows the appearance of a Dutch warship in the late 17th century, The ship has 74 guns. The actual ship woud have been more than 12 times the size of this model.
In the arts , we see first examples of Romanticism. Painters sought drama and sentiment. The world was changing rapidly with the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. In the second half of the century painting was reinvented by the impressionists.
The Battle of Waterloo by Jan Willem Pieneman (Another giant painting - I couldn't get the entire painting in the picture.) "In 1815 Napoleon was finally defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. This painting - the largest in the Rijksmuseum - depicts the turning point in the battle when the Duke of Wellington, the British commander hears that Prussian help is on its way. Victory and the end of twenty years of war are in sight. The Dutch Crown Prince, later King William II lies wounded on a stretcher (lower left on this picture) . His bravery earned him the nickname the Hero of Waterloo.
I was going to include our next outing with this blog but decided I should do a separate blog because of the content. You could be using this blog as an educational tool for your children or grandchildren. I mean, someone out there could be, maybe. Well, probably not, but just to be on the safe side. This was our Friday night outing to the Red Light District.
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