Teylers Museum

Teylers Museum is the Netherlands' first and oldest museum, open to the public since 1784.

Unique to this museum is the historical presentation of its collections, largely unchanged since the late 18th and 19th centuries. As a whole, the building and the collections are a monument to two centuries of cultural history. The 18th-century ensemble is wholly unique.

A visit to Teylers Museum is a like voyage through time, a voyage of discovery in the world of art and science. A stroll through the museum takes you from fossils and minerals to prints and drawings and paintings, from scientific instruments to coins and medals.

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In the 18th century the 'Arts' comprised not just the fine arts (drawing, painting and sculpture), but also science. In 1784 the Museum opened its doors to the public, which could attend scientific demonstrations in the Oval Room or view the works of art. The Oval Room is one of the finest examples of Neo-classical architecture in the Netherlands. The upper gallery has twelve built-in bookcases, largely containing encyclopaedia. The showcase in the centre displays a magnificent mineralogical collection from the 18th century. The two pyramidal showcases were constructed around 1803 for the display of rocks and stones. The ground floor cupboards hold 18th-century scientific instruments in the fields of chemistry, electricity, magnetism, optics and mechanics. Free-standing are larger instruments and models, including the fine celestial and terrestrial globes by George Adams (circa 1790). The Oval Room is the oldest part of the Museum. It was designed by the architect Leendert Viervant, who was commissioned in 1779 to build a 'Book and Arts Room'.

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Teylers Museum

33449 objects