RKD Research replaces and expands RKD Explore, which was launched in 2013. The new platform allows the user to search seven online databases with over six million digitized documents and images. These databases are the main source for art historical research into the visual arts from the Low Countries in an international context and new data are continuously added.

Until now, the visual documentation – more than four million images of works of art – could only be consulted at the RKD in The Hague. But now the entire visual documentation has been digitized and is available online. Anyone can freely access the research platform from home to search and compare images. For institutions, the databases are available as Linked Open Data, in line with the Dutch Digital Heritage Strategy.

Users who subscribe to RKD Research have access to extra features, such as a new visual search feature that was developed with the University of Oxford. The image search can yield surprising results, allowing you to make connections that you might have missed while reviewing the physical visual records.

Some features may not work as expected, the RKD warns. Over the next few months, all of the data will be added and the search function will be refined.