Old master's collection of Amsterdam

The city of Amsterdam has one of the largest collections of pre-18th century Old Masters in the world. Many famous painters like Rembrandt, Ferdinand Bol, Jacob van Ruisdael and Govert Flinck are represented with their best work. The exhibit not only offers the opportunity to enjoy the art of painting, but also discloses how these old masters were once obtained by the city.

Portraits of the Leper house
The exhibition tells the fascinating story of how this rich collection began and how it grew. In the first rooms, visitors experience the atmosphere of the great halls at the militia barracks and the governors' room of the Leper house. These were once lined with imposing group portraits that were intended to daunt visitors.

Rembrandt's Anatomical Lesson
Many of the paintings found new homes when these institutions declined and closed down. Like Rembrandt's famous Anatomical Lesson of Dr Jan Deijman, commissioned by the Surgeon's Guild. Much of the painting was destroyed in a fire in 1723. In 1841, the surviving fragment was sold for a modest sum to an English collector, to be restored to Amsterdam forty years later by a group of prominent citizens. Following an extended loan to the Rijksmuseum, in 1994 the painting found a permanent home in the Amsterdam Historical Museum.
Paintings of historical events
In the last room, the exhibition presents a selection of the many paintings acquired by the museum since 1926: portraits of wealthy citizens, paintings of key historical events and topographic works that reflect the city's growth and the changes that have taken place.