The Rijksmuseum art and history museum was founded in 1800 in the Hague and moved to the current Amsterdam location in 1885. It’s the largest and most visited museum in the Netherlands and annually sees over 2 million visitors. We spent much of our time there viewing the museum’s treasures, including Golden Age masterpieces by Dutch painters such as Rembrandt, Jan Vermeer, Frans Hals and Jan Steen, and also taking in some works from their 20th-century collections.

Below are trip highlights from jan 8th, 2019 in Amsterdam, NL. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps

Swiss Tiara Position: 52°23.01’N, 4°53.63’E The river boat docks recently installed near are marina are seeing heavy use. The 110m Swiss Tiara cruises Holland and Belgium, and the Danube, Rhine and Main rivers.

Rijksmuseum Position: 52°21.65’N, 4°53.20’E The Rijksmuseum art and history museum was founded in 1800 in the Hague and moved to the current location in 1885. It’s the largest and most visited museum in the Netherlands and annually sees over 2 million visitors. We’ll add two to the 2019 numbers today.

Atrium Position: 52°21.61’N, 4°53.10’E The light-filled atrium at the Rijksmuseum entrance.

Gallery of Honour Position: 52°21.60’N, 4°53.12’E The Gallery of Honour contains the Rijksmuseum’s treasures: Golden Age masterpieces by Dutch painters such as Rembrandt, Jan Vermeer, Frans Hals and Jan Steen. This room contains Rembrandt’s, from left to right, Self Portrait as the Apostle Paul, Rembrandt’s Son Titus in a Monk’s Habit, The Syndics, and The Jewish Bride.

Still Life with Cheese Position: 52°21.61’N, 4°53.12’E Floris Claesz van Dijck was considered one of the pioneers of Dutch still-life painting. He painted the incredibly realistic Still Life with Cheese around 1615.

The Last Judgement Position: 52°21.61’N, 4°53.12’E Lucas van Leydon was the most famous 16th-century Dutch painter and his masterpiece, The Last Judgement, is temporarily on display at the Rijksmuseum during the renovation of the Museum de Lakenhal in Leiden.

Merry Drinker Position: 52°21.61’N, 4°53.13’E The Merry Drinker, painted between 1628-1630, shows Frans Hal’s pioneering loose brushstroke technique.

Still Life with a Gilt Cup Position: 52°21.61’N, 4°53.13’E Willem Claesz Heda produced an impressive array of grey shades in his 1635 painting Still Life with a Gilt Cup.

Militia Company of District VIII Position: 52°21.59’N, 4°53.10’E Bartholomeus van der Helst’s 24ft-wide (7.5m) Militia Company of District VIII under the Command of Captain Roelof Bicker, painted in the 1640s is amazingly detailed and three-dimensional. Even the uniform buttons seem to extend out from the painting.

Night Watch Position: 52°21.59’N, 4°53.10’E Rembrandt’s masterpiece Night Watch, painted in 1642, is one of the most famous paintings of the Dutch Golden Age and the jewel of the Rijksmuseum. The notable features of the painting are his dramatic use of light and shadow, the perception of motion, and painting’s size at 11.91×14.34 ft (3.63×4.37m). This copy of Night Watch, painted between 1642-1655, shows that the original was even larger and was cut down to fit in a new display location.

Model of the William Rex Position: 52°21.61’N, 4°53.07’E A richly-detailed model of the Dutch warship William Rex, roughly a twelfth the size of the original, was made in the same shipyard where the real warships were built.

Delftware Position: 52°21.63’N, 4°53.10’E Delftware is a Dutch pottery created in the 16th-century to reproduce the Chinese porcelain that was in high demand in Europe at the time.

Dollhouse Position: 52°21.63’N, 4°53.08’E One of several incredible dollhouses in the Rijksmuseum’s collection. The detailed display, created in approximately 1676, is 6.5 hight by 4.9ft wide (2 x 1.50m).

Cupyers Library Position: 52°21.61’N, 4°53.05’E The second floor viewing balcony over Cupyers Library, one of the finest art libraries in the world.

Chess Set Position: 52°21.63’N, 4°53.10’E A Nazi chess set in the Rijksmuseum’s 20th-century collection glorifies Germany’s World War II territorial ambitions. The pieces are shaped like war weapons and the sides of the board list the countries attacked in 1939-1940.

Facial Casts Position: 52°21.64’N, 4°53.10’E Facial casts of Indonesian Nias Island residents in the Rijksmuseum’s 20th-century collection. Dutch anthropologist J.P. Kleiweg de Zwaan created the casts in the early 1900s during his research into physical characteristics of ethnic groups.

FK 23 Bantam Position: 52°21.64’N, 4°53.10’E The World War I fighter plane FK 23 Bantam in the Rijksmuseum’s 20th-century collection. The plane was developed by Dutchman Frederick Koolhoven while working for the English aircraft manufacturer BAT (British Aerial Transport Company) and could reach a record 136mph (200km/h).

Ice Rink Position: 52°21.54’N, 4°53.03’E The ice rink behind the Rijksmuseum has a lot less people on it than last time we were here.

Ramses Shaffy Position: 52°21.59’N, 4°53.44’E Portrait of Ramses Shaffy, interwoven with map lines of the Metro, at Vijzelgracht station on the new Metro 52 line. The popular Dutch singer lived in the neighbourhood of the station.

Cafe Sonneveld Position: 52°22.57’N, 4°52.93’E Escaping a downpour on our way home Rijksmuseum at Cafe Sonneveld, a bruin cafe (brown cafe; traditional Dutch pub) in the vibrant Jordaan district. Bruin cafes are snug and cosy establishments with candle-topped tables, wooden floors and often a house cat. They are named for their wood panelling and walls once stained by smoke.

Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise. On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.