Rijksmuseum Young Staff Picks

1. Still Life with Asparagus

Merle van Lier, Exhibitions Project Assistant

Asparagus: you either love it or it leaves you cold. Presumably, Adriaen Coorte was a big fan because he painted the white gold several times. In an intimate way, he represents them here, worked out down to the finest detail so you can almost taste them. Looking at this still life, I find myself back at the kitchen table at my parents’ house, while the steaming asparagus pan is ready next to platters of ham, baby potatoes, egg, and butter sauce.

2. Four-Poster Bed

Juliët van Doornik, Intern Textiles

One of my favorite objects in our galleries is this early 18th-century four-poster bed. The textiles required for beds like these made them incredibly valuable, which meant that they had a representative function; they were made to be seen. Interesting about the textiles in this bed specifically is the combination of Chinese silk damask on the inside and European silk damask on the outside. This is the kind of object I could look at for hours without getting bored. I am very curious about the construction of the bed, as well as what it would have been like to sleep in it.

3. Portrait of Chevalier(ère) d’Éon

Nora Brunt, Service & Safety—Front Office

Maybe the most surprising painting in the Rijksmuseum. It is a beautiful thing to see that gender identity isn’t just a topic now, but of all times. And that this person had the balls to solidify themselves as someone who does not conform to imposed rules, I find nothing but inspiring. I am sure that this painting has ruffled some feathers and yet created hope over the years, and hereby I would like to put the emphasis on “hope.”

4. Shipwreck Off a Rocky Coast

Kat Mulder, Interns Content

A painting I keep returning to every time I’m in the Rijksmuseum is Nuijen’s Shipwreck Off a Rocky Coast, a true highlight of Dutch Romanticism. What gets me first is the color: dark grays and deep browns, with warm golden light pushing through the clouds. I love how that light falls on the huge cliffs and shows just how big they are. Then you spot the tiny figures on the beach, looking for survivors, almost lost against the rocks. That contrast between small human details and overwhelming nature is why I can’t ever look away from this painting.

5. Arcadian Landscape with Setting Sun

Tessel Hopmans, Event Manager

My favorite work of art in our museum is this lovely Arcadian Landscape with Setting Sun by Daniel Dupré. He was an artist from Amsterdam who, like many of his peers, went on a study trip to Italy. Upon returning, he made two works in which he demonstrated what he had learned. The golden light, the signs of antiquity, and the landscape—all so vastly different from the city he knew best. Together, they make for a spectacular display of his newly learned skills. For me, the combination of these elements is a delight to the eye, and a bit of a break from the austere Dutch style that surrounds it.

6. Still Life with Flowers on a Marble Tabletop

Tara Nelissen, Press & Publicity

Rachel Ruysch is one of the most successful and celebrated still life painters. I keep coming back to Still Life with Flowers on a Marble Tabletop and see new details every time. The dark background draws your attention immediately to the intricate flowers, all different species, blooming throughout the year. The reason she could paint them all at the same time is that her father taught at Amsterdam’s Hortus Botanicus. He preserved all the flowers with his own secret technique. In this way, they retained their natural color and remained lifelike.

If you look closely, you can also see highly detailed insects in between the leaves. This is truly a marvelous masterwork you cannot miss when visiting the museum. In 1701, she became the first female member of Pictura, an association of artists in The Hague. A fun fact is that in her time she earned more for her paintings than Rembrandt did. We can certainly say she was a real powerful woman.