The Rembrandt House Museum
About the only surviving vestige of 17th-century Jodenbreestraat is also the most visited sight in the Jewish Quarter. The Museum Het Rembrandthuis (Rembrandt House Museum) has been in the care of a foundation since 1906 and it became a museum in 1911.
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1609-1669), to give the artist his full name, was born in Leiden and came to Amsterdam in 1631. Soon after arriving he took lodgings in what was then known simply as Breestraat (Broad Street), later to be known as Jodenbreestraat. The artist lived for much of his life in the Jewish Quarter. In the days of Rembrandt this was on the edge of the town; he was fond of walking out into the country, eastwards to the village of Diemen, now an Amsterdam suburb. Along with Van Gogh and Vermeer, Rembrandt continues to be one of Holland’s most beloved painters.
Rembrandt purchased the house in Jodenbreestraat in 1639, by which time he was a celebrated and successful artist. Even so, his comfortable new home (then just a two-storey building topped by a step gable) cost him dearly; he incurred substantial debts to pay for it, and his extravagant furnishings and running expenses contributed to his bankruptcy in 1656. Forced by his creditors to sell the house and many of his possessions, Rembrandt was nevertheless allowed to stay on until 1658, when he made a new home in the Jordaan.
In 1998 Prince Willem-Alexander opened a new wing adjacent to the Rembrandthuis, doubling the available display space. This new wing had radically altered the role of the original house – intriguing as it was, it had become little more than a receptacle for Rembrandt’s world-renowned prints and etchings.
The new wing now houses the 250 drawings and etchings, and a display that explains the technique of producing them, along with a portrait of Jan Six, one of Rembrandt’s patrons (portrayed as refined art lover, instead of the ostentatious merchant he was). Among the finest works are the sensitive portraits of his wife Saskia and his homely portrayals of beggars, barrel-organ players and a rat-catcher.
The trades have moved elsewhere, but Rembrandt’s physiognomies are recognizable in the faces of present-day Amsterdammers. Entrance to the Rembrandthuis is via the new wing. This spacious and well thought-out building houses temporary exhibitions in addition to the above-mentioned art treasures. There are also video and slide presentations.
The extension opened up an opportunity to restore the residence to its pre-museum role. Restoration has been carried out with scientific precision using, for example, floor and wall tiles of the same period and, where possible, using Rembrandt’s own works as a guide. The greatest point of reference, however, was the bailiff’s inventory drawn up at Rembrandt’s bankruptcy declaration.
As a result, the mansion contains some of the artist’s own belongings and looks about as it would have done when Rembrandt lived and worked here. Visitors gain a new insight into his character.
Opening hours
Monday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm
Sunday, 1 – 5pm
