In the centre of Delft, on the Koornmarkt, stands the house of Paul Tetar van Elven (1823-1896). He was an artist, a drawing-master at the Polytechnic School (now the Technical University of Delft) and also a fervent collector of art, antiques, Delft blue pottery and porcelain from the Far East. In his will he left his house and its contents to be turned into a museum. The result is the only well-preserved, authentic example of a 19th century artist’s house in The Netherlands. The interior of the house breathes the presence of the former owner and the era in which he lived. Visitors feel like the artist and his wife are personally welcoming them into their lavishly-furnished drawing room!

The house originally dates from the 16th century, from shortly after the Great Fire of Delft in 1536. In this period, the Koornmarkt became one of the wealthiest areas of the city. Various renovations were carried out on the house in the ensuing centuries, including a new front façade and extensive modernisation around the year 1800. This is the house that Tetar van Elven bought in 1864. He carried out no further renovations himself, but adapted the interiors to the current fashion. His most striking addition is the ceiling in the Salon: he commissioned Abraham Gips (Dutch painter, 1861-1943) to decorate it with the names of the old masters that he admired and copied (Raphaël, Rubens, Rembrandt and others).

Visitors to the museum can see that Tetar’s wishes have been fulfilled – from the richly-decorated and -furnished living rooms to the portraits and other paintings by himself and his contemporaries, to the remarkable painted ceiling, to the studio with his personal possessions, and to the library with his collection of antique books.

And on top of all that there are also the cabinets with his extensive collection of pottery and porcelain!