The interior, renovated in the 18th century and few times since, offer a peak into the life of the bourgeoisie of Delft. Besides the architecture and furniture, the museum also has an interesting permanent collection. Named after artist and art collector Paul Tetar van Elven (1823-1896), the collection includes paintings, artefacts, weapons, oriental porcelain, Delft Blue and paintings by contemporaries of Van Elven. Besides these, the museum also has imitations of paintings by old masters such as Titian and Rembrandt painted by Van Elven.
The permanent collection is fascinating enough, but if you visit before March, you can catch an exhibition of an art form rarely seen. Starting just after Christmas is an exhibition called Lumos! which features a collection of optic prints of Delft and Den Haag. “Optic illuminations and prints were an art form that was popular in the 18th and 19th century,” explained Alexandra Oostdijk, the curator of the museum. The prints were designed to create an illusion of perspective when viewed through an optical device called a zograscope. Back then, people would pay a few cents to look through these machines and get a photograph-like glimpse of places painted by artists.
TU Delft visitors won’t even have to pay a few cents. “We believe our collection will be very interesting for the students of the university and have decided that the entry to the museum will be free for all TU Delft students with valid student cards,” said Oostdijk.
link: tetar.nl
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