Step into the ‘Golden Age’

As our Les Clefs d’Or concierge team befits, they are always on the lookout for authentic and memorable experiences to enchant, delight and surprise each guest that stays with us at The Dylan. At a given day, they stepped back in time. They didn’t just visit one of Amsterdam’s heralded museums, as one might expect, but quite literally, they stepped into ‘The Golden Age’ at The Milkmaid Project.

A little historic context: the term ‘Dutch Masters’ refers to a group of highly skilled painters from The Netherlands during the 17th Century, often referred to as the Dutch Golden Age* (1588-1672). In the bustling republic at the time, several artists stood out as they each contributed uniquely to the art world, such as Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hans Hals, Jan Steen and Jacob van Ruisdael.

Whilst institutional museums nowadays display their iconic works such as ‘Girl with the pearl earring‘ (Vermeer, 1655) and The Night Watch (Van Rijn, 1642), we invite you to go a step further and step into the Golden Age yourself at an immersive art experience. Combining a museum full of authentic 17th century objects with a professional 3D photo studio, The Milkmaid Project offers the opportunity to take your portrait in the style of a Dutch Master painting.

Sander Veeneman founded The Milkmaid Project in 2020: ‘As a portrait photographer pur sang, I travelled the world for commercial assignments including magazines and advertising agencies, however my greatest passion was to fight poverty and injustice with my camera. That all changed after my kidney donation to my brother in 2019. During my months of rehabilitation, I started to delve into the masterful paintings of Vermeer and Rembrandt. Together with my deep love for portrait photography, the idea for the Milkmaid Project arose’.

In the heart of the vibrant Jordaan area, you are welcomed in an ‘Old Masters photo studio’, that even includes a small museum of original 17th Century props such as jugs, pottery and even 300 year old Delft Blue tiles. What sets this experience apart is its dedication to authenticity. In an age where AI can generate countless images, the creators of The Milkmaid Project chose to do things the old-fashioned way.

Through meticulous study of the original paintings, they’ve recreated every detail in a 3D set that transports visitors back four centuries. Re-creating the exact setting of Vermeer’s painting ‘The Milkmaid’ led Sander to question Vermeer’s use of perspectives. Through close study and experimentation, Sander concluded that Vermeer must have likely used perspective lines. This hypothesis was later confirmed by a museum study, which discovered a small hole in the painting where a nail was likely placed, indicating that Vermeer indeed used rope to create perspective lines.

As Amsterdam is celebrating its 750th birthday, we would like to invite you first see, and then become, a Dutch Master yourself. Book our Amsterdam 750 package, step back in time with us and take home a most memorable keepsake.

On the left, our concierge team, awaiting your arrival at The Dylan. On the right, the very same team, who stepped back in time.

*While the term ‘Golden Age’ historically refers to a period of great cultural and economic prosperity in The Netherlands, we do acknowledge and recognize the era’s injustices, as we reflect a more nuanced understanding of this period with from a modern day perspective.