One long hall full of Golden Age stars, with The Night Watch at the end.
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Pierre Cuypers built this hall like the nave of a church. You walk past Vermeer, Frans Hals and Jan Steen, and at the far end, where the altar would be, hangs The Night Watch.
When the Rijksmuseum opened in 1885, the Gallery of Honour was its heart. It runs along the second floor, with small side rooms like chapels on both sides. In those rooms hang the best Dutch paintings of the 1600s, the century people call the Golden Age. The museum owns four paintings by Johannes Vermeer, and they usually hang here together. At the end of the hall is the room made for The Night Watch. Rembrandt painted it in 1642 for the hall of a city militia. In 1715 it moved to the Town Hall on Dam Square, and it was cut down on all four sides to fit between two columns. The missing strips were never found.
Six things to look for. Works sometimes move, so ask at the desk.
Look for the girl in gold in the middle. The chicken claws on her belt were the symbol of this militia.
Usually at the end of the Gallery of Honour, second floorThis small copy shows the painting before it was cut. Compare the left side: two men and a child are missing in the real one.
Usually next to The Night WatchA thin stream of milk, a basket of bread and tiny nail holes in the white wall. Vermeer makes a quiet kitchen glow.
Usually in the Gallery of Honour, second floorAn ordinary street in Delft, with a woman sewing in a doorway. Look at the cracks in the old bricks.
Usually in the Gallery of Honour, second floorA man raises his glass and seems to talk to you. Hals painted him with fast, loose brushstrokes.
Usually in the Gallery of Honour, second floorLook at the hands of the couple. The sleeve of the man is painted in thick, gold layers of paint.
Usually in the Gallery of Honour, second floorTake the stairs to the second floor and walk into the Gallery of Honour. Walk slowly and turn into the side rooms: the Vermeers, Frans Hals and Jan Steen. Save The Night Watch for last. Stand far back first, then step close and find the girl in gold and the small copy next to it.
Count the dogs and drums in The Night Watch. In the Vermeer paintings, ask: what is this person thinking?
Combine your visit and plan the rest of your day.