Have you heard about the Six Family?
It started with Jean Six (1575–1617) and his wife Anna Wijmer (1584–1654), a well-to-do cloth merchant from France. Their son, Jan Six (1618 – 1700), became the son-in-law of Amsterdam mayor, Nicolaes Tulp, when he married Margaretha, in 1655.
Jan emerged as magistrate and eventually the mayor of Amsterdam himself in 1691, aged 73.
Jan was a good friend of the Dutch Golden Age Master painter, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606 – 1669). Rembrandt depicted Jan in the Portrait of Jan Six (1654). It is one of the master’s most admired works. Portrait of Jan Six is valued at around €360 million.
Several family members were also painted by Rembrandt including Jan Six’s mother, Anna Wymer.
The collection has been passed down through the Six generations, one after another. When Hendrik Six (1790–1847) married Lucretia Johanna van Winter (1785–1845) in 1822, both parties jointly expanded their collective collections even more. Works include Vermeer, Bruegel, Hals and Rubens.
In the past, the family had been forced to sell some of their collection such as The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer and dozens of other paintings including Van Ostade, Rubens, Metsu, Moreelse and Ruysdael and other national treasures in order to pay tax bills.
Jan Six VII (1857–1926) was an art historian and Rector of the University of Amsterdam. He auctioned off The Little Street by Vermeer in 1921 and used the money to create a foundation, the Six Collection. Meaning, the family relinquished this part of the estate, the collection remained together and inheritance tax on the collection no longer had to be paid.
The family archive dates back to approximately 1023, documenting more than 100.000 items and has been kept private for the past 10 generations.
According to a lawsuit settled in 2008, the agreement reached states that the foundation owns the Six mansion, the family has a right to live in it in perpetuity and the state provides funds for its upkeep. In exchange, the Sixes are to provide limited public access to the collection.
The Six family’s current stately mansion is on Amstel 218, in Amsterdam. A true hidden gem as it is still open to the public; only in the morning, with limited time slots, limited availability and the tour must be accompanied by a guide.
During my visit, the guided tour was led by a lovely student from the University of Amsterdam, studying Art History. The best voluntary job she proudly proclaimed!
It started with a short introduction about the Six Family. After that, we roamed through the entire first floor of the house, from one room to another, admiring paintings, sketches, objects, little trinkets, furniture and all fixtures and fittings, under the close watch eyes of this tour guide. It was a lot to take in within the hour. So much history. So much heritage. So many stories …
Every room in the house was ornately decorated full of the old grandeur. Every piece has its family tales. I saw the Portrait of Jan Six (1654) in person. Another highlight was a huge life-size equestrian painting of Diederik Tulp (1653) by Paulus Potter, on display in a room appropriately called Potter Room. His half-sister, Margaretha Tulp, broke off an engagement with Johan de Witt, one of the most influential Dutch politicians at the time, and married Jan Six instead. Potter repainted the head that was initially meant to be for someone else. The room containing the portrait had to be widened just to fit the hanging painting. It was very extravagant!
The second floor and above are out of bounds, occupied by the Six generation.
This opportunity was such a rare glimpse of behind-the-scenes into the life of the Dutch aristocracy. The feeling of being simultaneously in someone’s home and yet at a museum was palpable. NO PHOTO ALLOWED.
Before I left, I made sure I signed the guest book by the door. Among the names signed in their 25 volumes are Czar Alexander II of Russia, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan and former President Jacques Chirac of France.
So, I am now part of the family history. 😊
Let me remind you again, visiting this Amsterdam’s ‘secret’ museum is FREE of CHARGE. Guided tours will be conducted in English or Dutch. Book early. Highly recommended!
Website: https://collectiesix.nl/en
Address: Amstel 218. 1017 AJ Amsterdam.
