View of Houses in Delft, Known as ‘The Little Street’, Johannes Vermeer, c. 1658. (Photo: Rijksmuseum [Public domain])
The Rijksmuseum is a popular stop for tourists visiting the city of Amsterdam in The Netherlands. At the museums, visitors can view countless works by old Dutch Masters as well as more modern artists like Van Gogh. The paintings of Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Van Dyck held at the museum are treasures of world art history. These priceless works are among the over 709,000 digitized artworks now available to view for free online. The Rijksmuseum has created an impressive and easy-to-explore online collection with detailed object descriptions. In even better news, most of the digitized works are in the public domain—downloadable and even customizable with the museum's free resources.
The Rijksmuseum's online collections known as Rijks Studio are easily searchable by artist, object type, period, and place. Users will encounter magnificent 17th-century portraits by Frans Hals, realistic still life paintings, and ornate furniture, including one opulent dollhouse in a cabinet. If you start searching the collections, you are sure to find art and artists you never knew existed.
The Rijksmuseum is one of many museums who have been progressively digitizing their extensive collections over the last two decades. This process has taken on new importance in the age of coronavirus. Museums are searching for new ways to make art accessible and to continue to provide the cultural services which are their mission. To this end, thousands of the images in the Rijks Studio collection can be downloaded in high resolution. They are perfect screensavers; but if you are looking for even more creative uses, the museum has some suggestions. Simply register with a free account to save your favorite images, order prints, or even zoom in on your favorite details to display. Whether it is a Van Gogh phone case or a screen-printed tote, the museum hopes its online visitors will take the chance to integrate this legendary, public-domain artwork into their daily lives.
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has made 709,000 images of legendary artwork available for free in an online database.
William II, Prince of Orange, and his Bride, Mary Stuart, Anthony van Dyck, 1641. (Photo: Rijksmuseum [Public domain])
Thousands of high-res images are available for download so that people can get creative with integrating their favorite art into their everyday lives.
Roemer with a poem by Anna Roemers Visscher to Constantijn Huygens, anonymous, 1619. (Photo: Rijksmuseum [Public domain])
Among the available online works are paintings and sketches by Vermeer, Van Dyck, and Rembrandt.
The Holy Kinship, Geertgen tot Sint Jans (workshop of), c. 1495. (Photo: Rijksmuseum [Public domain])
Start searching the collection today—you'll be surprised and delighted by what you find.
Portrait of a Girl Dressed in Blue, Johannes Cornelisz. Verspronck, 1641. (Photo: Rijksmuseum [Public domain])
h/t: [Open Culture]
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