In the autumn of 2025, the Rijksmuseum presents a major exhibition on domestic life in the 1600s, the time of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Frans Hals. At Home in the Seventeenth Century offers an intimate glimpse into the everyday lives of families, parents and children from all walks of life more than three centuries ago. Designed by the Dutch artist Steef de Jong utilizing cardboard, the 9 diorama-style galleries in the Philips Wing will offer visitors an immersive experience to follow seventeenth-century home life over the course of an entire day – from early morning till late evening. The exhibition presents highlights from the decorative arts alongside objects that were found in every household. The centerpieces of the exhibition are the famous doll’s houses belonging to Petronella Oortman and Petronella Dunois.

Personal stories

The exhibition zooms in on the lives of a variety of people, such as the Boudaen Courten family from Zeeland province. Many items belonging to members of this family have survived, including gilded furniture, portraits and one very remarkable relic: a bladder stone retrieved in a major medical procedure. All these objects will be on view together for the first time in centuries. We also take a peek into the world of the Utrecht artist Joachim Wtewael. In 1628 he painted a portrait of his daughter Eva, seated at a table that still exists. The painting presents Eva as the epitome of the ideal housewife, with a sewing cushion on her lap and a prayer book on the table. This vision of her future unfortunately never became reality. She died seven years after the completion of the painting and never married. The painting will be on show together with the table and the matching linen cupboard.

The Doll’s House of Petronella Oortman

Made in the period 1686–1710, the Doll’s House of Petronella Oortman is one of the most important objects in the Rijksmuseum. It was recently digitized for the first time. An online special devoted to the doll’s house will be published in October 2025. It will allow visitors to wander around the miniature rooms and even see glimpses of the usually hidden spaces. The doll’s house was already famous as a work of art in the seventeenth century, and it was never intended as a toy for children. Today, it serves as a valuable resource that tells us a great deal about life in the seventeenth century. It still contains many of the ordinary household objects – such as brooms and wicker baskets – that tend to disappear with the passing of the centuries. The doll’s house rightly takes a prominent place in the exhibition.

Cesspits

The exhibition takes a multifaceted look at how people lived in the seventeenth century. Together with Archeologie West-Friesland, the curators have studied the contents of the seventeenth-century cesspit at the home of the mayor of Hoorn and his family, the Soncks. The cookware, the crockery and the food waste tell us the story of what was on the family dining table, offering detailed insights into their eating habits. Cesspits found on Vlooienburg island in Amsterdam, by contrast, reveal that Portuguese immigrants to the city brought with them their own earthenware, and their own flavors.

Publication and Curatorial Team

A book will be published to accompany the exhibition.  The book provides a new perspective on daily life in the seventeenth century. The authors of At Home in the seventeenth Century are the curators of the exhibition: Sara van Dijk (curator of textiles), Maartje Brattinga (curator of glass), Alexander Dencher (curator of furniture), Femke Diercks (head of decorative arts), Suzanne van Leeuwen (curator and conservator of jewellery) and Marijn Stolk (archaeologist).