More Museums

Thanks to the fabulous Museum Card (best deal ever!) I checked out a few of the other museums in Amsterdam in my last days there.

Rembrandthuis

This was Rembrandt’s home, studio and art dealing business for most of his career (until he went bankrupt and the house was turned over to debt collectors). It has been restored as authentically as possible from the list of furniture and possessions seized by the debt collectors and contains some artwork (though very few Rembrandt paintings) and the largest collection of…. (Drum Roll)…. Rembrandt’s Etchings!!! Yes, I have seen yet another collection of Rembrandts etchings (this is my 4^th in the last year I think). At least at this one, I was able to work out how etchings are done (they are engraved into a copper plate and then pressed onto paper with ink) and it even included a few of the original plates which sets it apart from the other exhibitions.

Jewish Historical Museum

This museum is set up in the 2 old synagogues of Amsterdam and details the history of Jewish people in the city. I went on a day when my brain wasn’t really equipped for museums, and so didn’t really enjoy this one so much. There was a cool exhibition on the actress Sarah Bernhardt, though.

Oude Kerk (Old Church)

The Old Church in Amsterdam is not much younger than the new church, but is still the oldest church in the city. It is no longer used as a church and was stripped of most of its churchy items by the Calvinists. Some points of interest though, was the grave of Rembrandt’s first wife, Saskia, and the choir stalls which each have a wood carving based on an old proverb. Some are quite interesting… I’ll let you try to work out what they mean…