The show kitchen in Petronella Oortman's dolls' house, circa 1696-1710 © Rijksmuseum

The two-day study trip to Amsterdam has been organised around the exhibition At Home in the 17th Century, at the Rijksmuseum (17 October 2025 - 11 January 2026), and to coincide with the international symposium entitled Exhibiting the domestic past which is being hosted by the Rijksmuseum on Thursday, 8 January, the day before our trip. The exhibition is curated by Sara van Dijk, Curator of Textiles at the Rijksmuseum, and her colleagues in the Department of Decorative Arts. Members may recall that Sara spoke at this year’s FHS Annual Symposium, The Art of the Dolls’ House.

The trip will start at the Rijksmuseum on Friday, 9 January at 9.15am. Highlights include a tour of the exhibition with the curators followed by a discussion and lunch at the Rijksmuseum. In the afternoon, architectural historian Dr Pieter Vlaardingerbroek will lead visits to three canal houses - two of them with restricted public access. On Saturday morning, Alexander Dencher, Curator of Furniture at the Rijksmuseum will be taking the group for an architectural tour of Amsterdam with stops at Oude Kerk and Nieuwe Kerk (Old and New Church), both of which contain important 17th century furnishings. The trip will conclude with a group lunch which is being arranged at a traditional cafe. 

Members wishing to attend the international symposium Exhibiting the domestic past at the Rijksmuseum on Thursday, 8 January can purchase tickets via this link Symposium Exhibiting the Domestic Past - Rijksmuseum. The symposium will explore the questions raised by the exhibition and will be moderated by Luke Syson. 

The cost of this Study Trip to Amsterdam is £235 per person, and includes entry fees and lunch on Friday and Saturday, but not accommodation, which should be booked individually. Applications for this Study Trip are being accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. 

If you are interested, please e-mail the Overseas Events Manager at overseasevents@furniturehistorysociety.org.