Rijksmuseum : Masterpieces up Close


Wonderful virtual tour of the Gallery on Honour at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

It’s a room I love although I am usually pretty tired by the time I get there having done the rest of the museum. Not for me a quick sprint to the famous bits! This is a virtual recreation of the room which you can navigate round as you walk up the centre. It took me a little while to work out how to move round a bay but I got there in the end.

One or two pictures in each bay then show an audio sign and there are delightful descriptions of the works, often including the sounds which might be in the picture. Particularly delightful was the sound of milk pouring with Vermeer’s milk maid and the music which might have been created by the figures in Jan Steen’s Merry Family.

At the end there is a more expensive set of pieces on the Night Watch and it is pictures in its current state of conservation. The commentaries talk about the content of the picture as well as it’s history and a discussion of its conservation. It’s a picture I love and I am always happy to learn more about it.  

While a virtual tour will never be as good as the real thing this does give a real sense of walking round the room and discovering it for yourself.

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