24 Nov 2025 – 30 Aug 2026
24 Nov 2025 – 30 Aug 2026
The Willet-Holthuysen House
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Lees dan het artikel in Ons Amsterdam dec 2025
World discovery
The Amsterdam Museum recently made a world-class discovery. While examining the painting The Chief Commissioners of the Wharves, restorer Liesbeth Abraham discovered a tattoo on the inside of the left wrist of one of the subjects. And not just any tattoo: it turns out to be the earliest known depiction of a tattoo in Western European painting.
What led a wealthy merchant to get a tattoo on his wrist? What does the tattoo actually represent? And why is it so clearly visible in the center of this group portrait? This small presentation is the result of research into the answers to these questions. Questions that, even after months of research, have not all been answered.
We invited Amsterdam tattoo artist Henk Schiffmacher to visit our depot to examine the tattoo with us. Schiffmacher has extensive knowledge of the history of tattoos and has a collection of tattoos and literature on the subject. He had never seen such an early Amsterdam tattoo before. We asked him to display some objects from his collection here as well.
The painting The Chief Commissioners of the Wharves and objects from Henk Schiffmacher's collection will be on display in a small exhibition at the Willet-Holthuysen House until August 30, 2026.
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De vondst van deze tatoeage is een kleinood, zou je denken, maar toch slaat hij in als een komeet. Het is echt uniek, een wereldvondst.”
Henk Schiffmacher