16TH CENTURY: STREET ART IN ROME — POLIDORO DA CARAVAGGIO

In the Rome of the 1520s, Polidoro da Caravaggio (c. 1499–1543) was one of the most sought-after artists of his time. He decorated palace facades with monochrome sgraffiti (layers of scratched plaster) depicting mythological and historical scenes, visible to everyone passing on the street. Many of these facade decorations have been lost, but drawings and prints keep them alive. They show how his innovative work spread and inspired artists across Europe.

17th Century: Between the Netherlands and Poland - The Van Eeghen Drawing Book

This early 17th-century drawing book is a recent gift to the Rijksmuseum, named after the family who owned it for 300 years. It is unique in having survived fully intact. It contains around thirty drawings, including a series of biblical scenes attributed to Rombout Uylenburgh and his workshop. Uylenburgh emigrated with his family from Friesland to Kraków, where he became a court painter. In 1612 he moved to Danzig (now Gdańsk), a port city with many Dutch inhabitants. There the book likely came into the possession of the Amsterdam merchant Reyer Claesz., whose name appears on the binding. After his death, Uylenburgh fell into obscurity.

17TH CENTURY: THE WORLD FOR SALE — GIUSEPPE MITELLI

No refined beauty here, but a glimpse of raw reality. The prints of Giuseppe Mitelli (c. 1634–1718) are considered forerunners of the cartoon. With humour and sharp satire, he depicts wealthy young men, street vendors and beggars in a world of stark inequality. Success, love, honour: almost everything is for sale. His portrayals of the fragility of human existence still hit home. Shared experiences remain recognisable, however great the distance in time.

18TH CENTURY: AQUATINT - Mimicking the wash drawing

Around 1760, artists discovered how to print not just lines but also flat tonal areas. They called it aquatint, because the result resembles a drawing filled in with diluted ink. Initially they printed in brown ink to enhance that effect. A well-known example is Francisco de Goya's The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters (1797–1799), also on view in this presentation. Later, artists explored the technique further, eventually developing early forms of colour printing. This room presents a selection from the collection that traces that development step by step.

19TH CENTURY: FAIRY TALES

Who didn't grow up with fairy tales? Stories like Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Puss in Boots date from the 19th century, but go back to older European folk tales. Japan has a rich fairy tale tradition of its own, with stories about Momotarō, the peach boy, and the mighty Kintarō. The colourful Japanese woodblock prints and European chapbooks in this room show that fairy tales share many themes across the world, while each carries its own distinct cultural colour.