Six Collection

The Collectie Six in Amsterdam is an extraordinary historic private collection housed in the heart of the city at Amstel 218. Unlike a traditional museum, it is an inhabited private home that has been open to the public on a limited basis since the early 20th century. The roots of the holdings go back to the 17th century, when Jan Six, an influential mayor and patron of the arts during the Golden Age, laid the foundation. Through marriages and inheritances, in particular the merging with the Van Winter collection in 1822, the holdings grew considerably and today include paintings, drawings, furniture, and family archives. The collection is institutionally secured by several foundations; since the 1950s, the Dutch state has covered the financial upkeep and owns the building, on the condition that the collection remains intact.

Visitors experience the collection in an authentic historic setting, as the interior furnishings and wood paneling come from the family's original residence. Among the highlights is the famous portrait of Jan Six I, painted by Rembrandt van Rijn in 1654, which shows the sitter pulling on a glove and is considered one of the painter's most important works. Other masterpieces, such as Johannes Vermeer's The Milkmaid and View of a Street, are also part of the holdings, although some works are occasionally loaned to public museums such as the Rijksmuseum. The collection also includes works by Frans Hals, Paulus Potter, and other Dutch masters, as well as historical objects such as an early planetarium from 1754. One special document is the family guestbook, which spans 25 volumes and goes back to 1809.

Visiting the Collectie Six is not something you can do on a whim, as it is possible only by advance registration through the collection's website. Tours are limited to weekdays between 10 a.m. and noon, while the collection remains closed on weekends and public holidays. This restrictive access policy underscores the character of the place as a living family archive and preserved cultural treasure, maintained under the stewardship of the Six family and its foundations.