Saskia Breakfast
9 March 2026
8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Sunrise Breakfast at Saskia’s Grave with Rijksmuseum Curator Friso Lammertse.
Saskia Uylenburgh, the wife and muse of Rembrandt, was buried in the summer of 1642 in the Oude Kerk. Every year on 9 March, at precisely 8.39 in the morning, a ray of sunlight falls upon her grave. During this year’s edition of the annual sun breakfast, Rijksmuseum curator Friso Lammertse will speak about Titus, the fourth and only child of Saskia and Rembrandt to survive childhood. City Poet Ellen Deckwitz, as she did last year, will recite a poem specially written for the occasion. Musical contributions will be provided by violinist Lisa Jacobs and titular organist Matteo Imbruno.
Programme
07:45: Doors open
08:00: Breakfast begins
08:10: Welcome
08:39: Sunbeam on Saskia’s grave
08:50: Lecture by Friso Lammertse, Curator of 17th-Century Painting, Rijksmuseum
09:30: End
Rembrandt and Saskia in the Oude Kerk
The lives of Saskia Uylenburgh (1612–1642) and Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) are closely intertwined with the history of the Oude Kerk. In the summer of 1634, Rembrandt signed their notice of marriage in the Mirror Room of the Oude Kerk. Saskia modelled for many of Rembrandt’s works, and the young couple lived only a stone’s throw from the church. During this period Rembrandt produced numerous etchings of the neighbourhood surrounding the Oude Kerk. In 1642, Saskia died of tuberculosis at the age of 29. She was buried in the Oude Kerk. Each year we celebrate Saskia with a special commemorative breakfast.