Lutheran cabinet on tour: from Alkmaar to Washington and Ghent

The extraordinary 17th-century showpiece from the collection of Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar is going on a world tour! From 26 September 2025 to 11 January 2026 it can be admired in the exhibition Women Artists from Antwerp to Amsterdam, 1600-1750 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C.

The exhibition brings together works by more than 40 women artists from the Northern and Southern Netherlands. Through paintings, lace, prints, paper-cutting, embroidery and sculpture, the exhibition shows how essential the contribution of women was to the art and visual culture of the 17th century

The cabinet was painted by Susanna van Steenwijck-Gaspoel, one of the first female artists to specialize in architectural painting. It belonged to the contents of Nijenburg Estate. It owes its name to the unusual paintings. Not so much those on the door (Jesus and the Samaritan woman) but those on the inside: a church interior and portraits of famous reformers.

Susanna signed the cabinet on two panels. It shows her craftsmanship as well as creative daring.

After Washington, the cabinet will travel on to the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent, where it will be on display from March 7 to May 31, 2026. After that it will return to Alkmaar, but until then we'll have to miss it for a while!