Although we only had a couple of days in Amsterdam, one of the places that we wanted to visit was the Rijksmuseum. It is the Dutch National Museum and is dedicated to the arts and history of the Netherlands. It is also the largest art museum in the country and it displays more than 8,000 pieces. The building itself is actually quite beautiful and first opened its doors in 1885.
Clock Tower at the MuseumOil PaintingFront of the Museum
There were a couple of things that we found quite interesting and made visiting this museum a little different than most other museums that we have visited. First was that there is a working library within the museum where people can read some of the literature that they have collected. Obviously, it isn’t a lending library and we aren’t sure what credentials are required to get access to the library, but it was interesting to see. The other thing was that they have an active display of art restoration in progress. Like everything else in life, art restoration has become extremely high-tech.
Library Inside of the MuseumRestoration DisplayPeople Working in the Library
Of all of the artwork in the museum, The Night Watch by Rembrandt is probably the most famous. There are other famous Rembrandt paintings there as well, but this painting is definitely given a place of honor. We didn’t spend as much time in the museum as we would have hoped to, but we really enjoyed everything that we saw. The Rijksmuseum is definitely worth visiting if you have the opportunity to travel to Amsterdam.
The Night Watch by RembrandtPart of the Building FaçadeBeautiful Exterior
When visiting the palaces, museums, and castles around the world, it is amazing to see the volume of art that exists in these amazing places. In many cases, there is so much artwork that they literally line the hallways with the art that they have collected. Halls are not just a way to traverse from one room to another room, but is a destination in and of itself. Whether lined with paintings, sculptures, tapestries, books, or rare artifacts, the amount of art can become overwhelming. It is hard to imagine the wealth of some of the kings and queens that collected such vast amounts of historic pieces and horded them for their own benefit. Fortunately, over time, these pieces of history have been returned to the public in the form of museums and other sites that have been opened to the public. For this week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, Hallways, we have chosen some photos of our favorite halls that surround you with incredible pieces of art.
Walking Through the Vatican MuseumLibrary in Trinity College in Dublin, IrelandInside of the LouvreWarwick Castle Hallway Converts to a Banquet RoomVersailles Palace
When traveling to Rome, one of the highlights is taking the time to visit Vatican City and specifically the Vatican Museums. Throughout history, the Popes have collected artistic treasures from throughout the world. The majority of the artwork that the church has collected is not on display, but what is on display is overwhelming and can’t be taken in during a single visit to the museums or even to just one of the museums. We were on a tour of Vatican City and our guide asked us whether we wanted to focus on the paintings or on the sculptures since there wouldn’t be time to see both. We decided upon the sculptures, but we really wish we could have had enough time to see both.
Room after Room of ArtworkColorful DetailsWalking the Museum HallsDetailed Tapestry
There are 54 galleries spread out inside of the museums and even 4 museums dedicated to the various sculptures. With over 50,000 pieces of art and approximately 20,000 of them on display, the total area of the museums is daunting. Included in the galleries is the final stop on any tour to the museums, which is the Sistine Chapel. You often get very limited time inside of the Sistine Chapel, but we were fortunate to be able to stay as long as we wanted, which was truly a memory that we will never forget. Photography is not allowed, although some people were sneaking photos, but we chose to obey the rules and not take any photos ourselves.
Room Filled with Animal StatuesOrnate CeilingEnormous Marble TubCapturing the Reality of Nature
The very first piece of art collected and put on display at the museums over 500 years ago is the Laocoön and his Sons, which truly is an amazing marble sculpture with incredible details. It was put on display one month after its discovery in 1506 at a vineyard in Rome. There were so many interesting pieces of art that we couldn’t come close to describing them all here, but one other statue that we found fascinating was of a man with a child on his shoulder with such lifelike eyes. One thing that is hard not to notice is that many of the statues have been “censored” by the church through the addition of fig leaves, which we think is a shame since it modifies the original sculpture.
Statue of Laocoön and His SonsLook at the Amazing DetailsLifelike EyesThe Full Statue
Like many other large museums, to truly appreciate all of the artwork you would need to visit many times and spend more time truly enjoying each piece of art. At a certain point, when you are walking past masterpiece after masterpiece, the mind starts to tune out and you stop absorbing the beauty that is in front of you. No visit to Vatican City would be complete without visiting the museums, especially to see the spectacular Sistine Chapel.
Each Pope Proudly Takes Credit for Their AdditionsAdmiring the StatuesReligious TapestryDamaged, But Still BeautifulSphere within Sphere3-D Relief
