Masterpieces from the Amsterdam Museum now on display at the Rijksmuseum

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do 11 september 2025, 15:00 hour

Two masterpieces from the Amsterdam Museum are now temporarily on display in the Gallery of Honor at the Rijksmuseum: Rembrandt's ‘The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp’ and ‘The Golden Lion on the IJ for Amsterdam’ by Willem van de Velde II. Both masterpieces are on loan due to the renovation of our main location on Kalverstraat.

'The two paintings are considered to be among the absolute highlights in the oeuvres of both masters and can also boast a venerable Rijksmuseum history. The Golden Lion on the IJ was one of the seven original loans from the city of Amsterdam and hung in the Rijksmuseum from 1808 to 1975," says Nobert Middelkoop, our Senior Curator of Paintings, Drawings, and Prints.

The Anatomy Lesson by Jan Deijman hung in the Rijksmuseum from 1885 until the loan was terminated by mutual agreement in 1993. It was then given a place in the Amsterdam Museum among other Anatomy Lessons. It feels good to be able to continue to admire these masterpieces in the Gallery of Honour for the foreseeable future.

One of Rembrandt's largest paintings

The Anatomy Lesson of Jan Deijman (1656) was once one of Rembrandt's largest paintings, measuring approximately 245 x 300 cm, but in 1723 it was largely destroyed by fire. This happened in the Anthoniswaag on the Nieuwmarkt in Amsterdam.

The original painting depicted eight surgeons performing an autopsy on the brain of the convicted criminal Joris Fonteijn. After the fire, only the central section remained, showing Dr. Deijman and an assistant holding the skull cap. Once a year, the Surgeons' Guild was allowed to organize a public anatomy lesson. For this purpose, the city government provided the corpse of an executed criminal.

By depicting the body briefly and illuminating it brightly from above, Rembrandt created a powerful contrast. The effect is so strong that the dissection table almost seems to protrude from the painting. It can be seen in the Hall of Fame, surrounded by other works by Rembrandt.

The return of Cornelis Tromp's flagship

The painting by Willem van de Velde II from 1686 features the famous warship De Gouden Leeuw (The Golden Lion) in the center. After years of service and many naval battles, Lieutenant Admiral Cornelis Tromp's ship arrives in the port of Amsterdam, where it will eventually be scrapped. The city skyline in the background immediately reveals that the location is unmistakably Amsterdam.

Van de Velde has depicted the arrival in grand style: the late afternoon light falls dramatically on the ship, the wind fills the sails, and sailors climb into the rigging to lower them. In the foreground, a stately sloop belonging to the city council sails toward the ship, and on the left, a yacht fires a salute.

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