Amsterdam has dozens of Golden Age house museums, but few are as gilded as this one. Currently home to part of the Theater Instituut Nederland (Netherlands Theater Institute), the Bartolotti Huis (Nos. 170-172) is made up of two spectacular examples of Hendrick de Keyser's work. The rest of the museum takes up the equally delectable White House (No. 168), built in 1638. Its original owner, Michiel Pauw—as one of the initiators of the West India Company—could easily afford its interior of marble-lined corridors, sweeping monumental staircases, densely rendered plasterwork, and ceiling paintings by Jacob de Wit. All of these attributes have been restored and provide a lush backdrop for exhibitions about the history of theater in all its forms: circus, opera, musical, puppetry, and drama. There are costumes, models of stage sets, and an extensive library with archives focused on the theatrical scene in the Netherlands. Its stellar back garden—alone worth the price—is the perfect place to sip a coffee from the café while imagining it as the setting for Baroque-era barbecues.
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