Rijksmuseum Rear Wing — Amsterdam Roofline Study

19 September 2017 · Amsterdam

The side elevation of the Rijksmuseum's rear wing strips the building down to its structural argument: steep slate rooflines, stone finials, a decorative medallion pressed into dark brick, and Cuypers's clock tower rising behind. At the right edge, the modern limestone annex stands flat and pale — the same institution, a different century's answer to the same question. Dutch Renaissance Revival at close range rewards the patient look.