De Rariteitkamer van Levinus Vincent

About this artwork

…; collection Jonkvrouw Anna Johanna Maria Teding van Berkhout (1833-1909), Haarlem;{Note RMA.} her brother, Jonkheer Hendrik Teding van Berkhout (1830-1904), Haarlem;{Note RMA.} his son, Jonkheer Hendrik Teding van Berkhout (1879-1969), Amsterdam;{Note RMA.} his daughters, Suzanna Frida barones van Höevell-née jonkvrouw Teding van Berkhout (1909-2003), Haarlem, and Jonkvrouw Anna Clara Teding van Berkhout (1910-2001), Amsterdam;{Note RMA.} from whom, fl. 500, to the museum, as a gift from the R...

Art Historical Context

This delicate pen drawing by Gerrit Rademaker the interior of Levinus’s celebrated “rarkamer,” or cabinet ofities, a private museum that fascinated visitors in late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century Haarlem. Rendered with fine, precise lines on a sheet measuring just 23 by 19 centimeters, the work invites close inspection, allowing viewers to imagine the densely packed shelves of shells, minerals, corals, and exotic specimens that Vincent assembled over decades. During this period, such cabinets reflected the era’s growing passion for natural history and global exploration. Dutch collectors like Vincent displayed their treasures not merely as objects of wonder but as evidence of scientific inquiry and worldly connections. Rademaker’s drawing preserves the ordered yet lavish arrangement of one of the most famous examples, offering today’s audiences a glimpse into how knowledge was once stored and displayed. Acquired by the Rijksmuseum in 1980 as a gift from the Rijksmuseum Stichting, the sheet has passed through generations of the Teding van Berkhout family, underscoring its enduring appeal as both an artistic record and a historical document of early modern collecting culture.