Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Museum Van Loon
Step back into the 18th century at this delightful canal house on Keizersgracht,
which has been the property of the prestigious Van Loon family (co-founders
of the Dutch East India Company, later bankers and royal courtiers) since
1884. In the 1970s, the family opened it to the public, having painstakingly
restored it to its appearance in the 1750s, when it was owned by Dr Abraham
van Hagen and his heiress wife Catharina Trip. It is beautifully furnished with
Van Loon family possessions throughout.
Top 10 Features
1 The Building
2 The Staircase
3 The Family Portraits
4 The Wedding Portrait
5 The Garden
6 The Dining Service
7 The Gold Coin Collection
8 The Painted Room
9 The Romantic Double
Portrait
0 The Kitchen
Façade of the Museum
Van Loon
There is no café;
head for nearby
Nieuwe Spiegelstraat
or Utrechtsestraat
for a good choice.
The Building
In 1672, Jeremias
van Raey built two large
houses on Keizersgracht.
One he occupied himself,
the other - No. 672, now
the Museum Van Loon -
he rented to Rembrandt's
most famous pupil,
Ferdinand Bol.
Serene and elegant,
the Museum Van
Loon makes a perfect
visit for adults, but is
not so well suited to
young children.
•
Keizersgracht 672
• Map E5
•
020 624 5255
• www.museum
vanloon.nl
• Open 11am-5pm
Fri-Mon, Tue-Thu by
appointment
•
Admission €5;
concessions €4
•
Guided tours on
request
The
Family
Portraits
Portraits of
the Van
Loon family
are displayed
throughout the house.
The Staircase
The balustrade was
installed by Dr Van Hagen,
who had his and his wife's
names incorporated into
the ornate brass work.
When the canals ceased
to freeze over regularly,
the 18th-century sledge
in the hall found a new
use as a plant stand.
The Wedding Portrait
Jan Molenaer's first major
commission in Amsterdam
portrays the whole family. It's
a second marriage: the bride
holds her stepson's hand in an
act of acceptance, while the
fallen chair symbolizes the
groom's deceased brother.
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