Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
Description
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in its current form dates from 1885, when the collections of several Dutch museums were merged. Direct predecessors of the Rijksmuseum are the Nationale Konst-Gallery, 's Rijks Verzameling van Moderne Kunst in Haarlem, Nederlandsch Museum van Geschiedenis en Kunst and the Royal Cabinet of Curiosities, both in The Hague. Since 1952, the collection of the Royal Society of Friends of Asian Art (KVVAK) has also been exhibited at the Rijksmuseum. In the context of researching collections from a colonial context, the collections of the KVVAK and the Royal Cabinet of Curiosities within the Rijksmuseum collection are of particular interest.
Provenance research
The Rijksmuseum's object collection is accessible through the so-called Rijksstudio, via the ‘extended search’ option there are more selection options for finding objects. Relevant information for provenance research can often be found via the object pages; relevant publications are also displayed.
The archives of the Rijksmuseum and its predecessors up to 1995 are available via the Noord-Hollands Archief and are accompanied by an extensive archival description. The more recent archives are available through the Rijksmuseum itself. For information on these archival materials and consultation options, please contact the Rijksmuseum's archival staff.
Almost all collection documentation is accessible for research purposes. If a file is present, it is generally listed under ‘documentation’ under object details in the Rijksstudio, the Rijksmuseum's collection website.
The Rijksmuseum Research Library contains a large quantity of books, journals, auction, exhibition, trade and collection catalogues. These publications can be viewed in the Rijksmuseum library. The Rijksmuseum also owns around 130,000 auction catalogues, dating from the seventeenth century to the present. Just under half of the catalogues can be found within the digital library catalogue of the Rijksmuseum Research Library. Catalogues acquired before 1989 can only be found in the paper catalogue. You can enquire at the Rijksmuseum Library if the catalogue you are looking for is available. Also accessible in the library collection is the Art Sales Catalogues Online (ASCO). This database contains over 20,000 historical auction catalogues from the period 1600-1900. The so-called Special-Collections segment within the collection of the National Museum Library includes old prints, books with original prints or photographs, special bibliophile editions, artists' books, recipe books and all the works of the Royal Archaeological Society (KOG).