Early the next morning found us in line with our tickets to the Rijksmuseum. Its a beautiful structure and there was an orchestra playing Vivaldi under the central arch to greet us - what a treat that was!
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| Rijksmuseum on Museum Square |
The ticket desk and entrance is through this light filled inner atrium with a lovely cafe on the second level.
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| Rijksmuseum inner atrium |
At the end of a long gallery called the Hall of Fame hung with Rembrandt portraits, Vermeer's The Milkmaid and other astounding paintings, you find yourself in the Night Watch Room as seen in the photo below.
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| The Night Watch Room |
Other wise known as the Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Cocq (1642), the Night Watch is so large that it is almost impossible to imagine Rembrandt painting it so perfectly with great attention to faces and gestures. It was painted to adorn the guild hall and shows the captain dressed in black ordering his lieutenant to begin marching. The young girl with the light catching her so beautifully was the company mascot. It is awe inspiring!
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| The Night Watch |
And hung on the next wall I was thrilled to see Rembrandt's The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis (1661). The painting was commissioned by the city of Amsterdam to adorn the newly built Town Hall but was returned to Rembrandt after hanging there for only a short while. The reason for the return is undocumented.
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The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis 1661-1662
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Some other treasures from the museum:
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| Terrracotta sculpture of horse and rider |
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| Democratus & Heraclitus by Hendrick Brugghen 1628 |
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| Banquet Still Life 1644 by Adriaen Utrecht |
The Great Hall, which was formerly the entrance to the museum, is adorned with stained glass windows reaching up to a vaulted ceiling. This one was commissioned in 1882 by William Dixon of London to show the Art of Painting and features Rembrandt, Apelles and Van Leyden among others.
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| The Art of Painting stained glass |
And an ancient, heart stopping crucifix from the year 1260.
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| Crucifix 1260 |
I could go on and on as the museum is filled with countless treasures of art and of Dutch history but instead I will leave you with this evening photo of the wonderful Central Station building which was a short walk from our hotel. It is of Gothic/Renaissance style architecture and was designed by Pierre Cuypers who also designed the Rijksmuseum.
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| Central Station |
In my next post, I will tell you about a special exhibit at the Rijksmuseum and our visit to the Albert Kuiper Market.
