Petronella Oortman’s Doll’s House

A richly illustrated book about the largest, most precious, and most famous doll’s house of the 17th century New photographs reveal every detail of this remarkable miniature home The doll’s house is one of the highlights of the Rijksmuseum’s exhibition At Home in the 17th Century (October 2025 – January 2026)

At the end of the seventeenth century, in the vibrant city of Amsterdam, the wealthy Petronella Oortman commissioned a doll’s house. Crafted by the most skilled artisans from the Dutch Republic and beyond, this was no children’s toy, but a small-scale masterpiece. Oortman devoted 25 years to its completion, spending an astonishing 20,000 to 30,000 guilders – a sum that could have bought her a grand canal house. It is, in every detail, her ideal version of reality: a perfect household in miniature.

Now, more than three centuries later, digital photography brings the world of the doll’s house back to life. This book takes the reader on a tour of every room – including those normally hidden from view – offering a fresh perspective on this remarkable creation.