Symbols in Dutch still lifes
Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum gathers lemons, mirrors and hunters as symbols in old paintings, and collects combs, watches and lace.
What it is
The Pinterest profile of Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, the national museum of Dutch art and history. It has more than fifty boards and around 1,700 pins: Golden Age highlights, dedicated boards for Vermeer, Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Jan Steen, and a long tail of small themed collections — combs, pocket watches, lace, brooches and 20th-century shoes.
Why we picked it
The standout is the Symbols series, where each board decodes one object Dutch painters used on purpose. The lemon board gathers details from still lifes by Pieter Claesz, Willem Claesz Heda, Abraham van Beijeren and Jan Steen, and its description explains why a lemon signalled wealth and why painters loved showing the peel curling off in a single spiral. Other boards cover mirrors and Gabriël Metsu's The Hunter's Present. Spend ten minutes here and Dutch still life painting starts reading like a text rather than a nice arrangement of food.
The other reason to visit is Greatest Grids: tiles of collection objects grouped by one trait — necklaces, butterflies, shells, fans, hands, flowers, plus grids by colour. They're practically finished palettes and moodboards. Nearby you'll find Food in Paintings, Tulipmania on the 17th-century tulip craze, and Strange Objects, where the museum shows off its oddest holdings.
Where to start
- Symbols – The Lemon — the best entry point to Dutch still life symbolism, explained in the board description.
- Greatest Grids — colour palettes and moodboards made from museum objects, great for branding work.
- Johannes Vermeer and Rembrandt — close looks at the famous paintings and their details.
- Strange Objects — 60-plus curiosities from the collection for offbeat inspiration.
- Lace in all ways and The Art of Combs — small objects for jewellers and craft makers.
Who it's for
People who like reading the small details in old paintings and want to know what they mean. Art history teachers, designers hunting for palettes and moodboards, and anyone heading to Amsterdam who wants to arrive at the Rijksmuseum with a plan.
Quick answers
Can I browse without a Pinterest account? Yes, the boards open without logging in, though Pinterest may nudge you to sign up now and then.
Where do the images come from? From the Rijksmuseum's own collection; pins link to the artworks' pages in the museum's online collection.
How many Symbols boards are there? Three at the moment: the lemon, the mirror and the hunter.
