Search in Rijksstudio
The Threatened Swan
Jan Asselijn, c. 1650, painting, SK-A-4
With its wings stretched and its neck poised, the swan protects her eggs against a dog swimming nearby. Showing the scene from a low angle emphasises the bird’s power. The inscriptions are a later addition and have a political message. They refer to the Dutch political leader Johan de Witt, who…
On display in Gallery of Honour
Gallant Conversation, Known as ‘The…
Gerard ter Borch (II), c. 1654, painting, SK-A-404
A man of the world, a soldier perhaps, is looking admiringly at the young woman in the splendid satin dress. They were once thought to be father and daughter. But perhaps the man is the woman’s suitor, and the older woman is a chaperone. The young woman’s pose, standing with her back to the viewer,…
On display in room 2.25
The Merry Family
Jan Havicksz. Steen, 1668, painting, SK-C-229
IYoung and old are having a wonderful time: mother and grandmother are singing, the children are playing music and smoking, and father raises his glass. The note on the mantelpiece comments poignantly: ‘as the old sing, so pipe the young’. Steen’s picture brings the saying to life and warns the…
On display in Gallery of Honour
The Night Watch
Rembrandt van Rijn, 1642, painting, SK-C-5
Rembrandt’s largest, most famous canvas was made for the Arquebusiers guild hall. This was one of several halls of Amsterdam’s civic guard, the city’s militia and police. Rembrandt was the first to paint figures in a group portrait actually doing something. The captain, dressed in black, is…
On display in Nightwatch gallery
A Mother Delousing her Child’s…
Pieter de Hooch, c. 1660 - c. 1661, painting, SK-C-149
A mother is inspecting her child’s hair for lice. They are in a sober Dutch interior, with Delft blue tiles and a bedstead. The chair on the right is a children’s toilet, with a built-in chamber pot. Through the door we see the back room, and catch a glimpse of the garden. These views into the…
Portrait of Alida Christina Assink
Jan Adam Kruseman, 1833, painting, SK-C-1672
Dressed to the nines in the latest fashion, Alida Assink poses here for Kruseman, the society artist. Her clothes give her a fashionable shape: with her wide shoulders, puffed sleeves and hooped skirt, her waist seems tiny. The large belt clasp draws even more attention to her midriff. Kruseman was…
On display in room 1.14
Set of Nested Cup Weights
Guilliam de Neve (attributed to), c. 1625 - c. 1650, BK-NM-5153
Woman at her Toilet
Jan Havicksz. Steen, 1655 - 1660, painting, SK-A-4052
On display in room 2.25
Interior of an inn with an old man…
Jan Havicksz. Steen, 1660 - 1679, painting, SK-A-3347
‘The Skaters’: Peasants in an…
Adriaen van Ostade, c. 1656, painting, SK-A-2332
On display in room 2.13