MCP SERVERSearch the Rijksmuseum collection down to material, technique, century and colour, and get one artist's works back in date order as a timeline.
LABSCO SUMMARY
get_artist_timeline returns an artist's works in date order with a maxWorks bound, which is where art-historical questions usually start, and search_artwork's filters reach material, technique and colour — so "oil on panel, seventeenth century, with red in it" is a query rather than a browse. One tool behaves differently from the rest: open_image_in_browser opens a window on the machine running the server, not in the session.
Seven tools over the Rijksmuseum collection: filtered search, full object detail, deep-zoom image tiles, the user-curated sets in Rijksstudio, and a generated chronological timeline for a single artist.
A Rijksmuseum API key in RIJKSMUSEUM_API_KEY, and Node on your PATH.
One command plus a key — npx -y mcp-server-rijksmuseum, then supply credentials
USE CASES
Get the artist's works in date order with a cap on how many, then open the ones that mark a turn for their full materials, techniques and history.
The filters reach maker, type, material, technique, century, colour and culture at once, so a research question phrased as constraints stays a query instead of becoming a browse.
Pull the deep-zoom tile data to inspect brushwork or an inscription at magnification, or throw the high-resolution image onto the screen of the machine running the server.
Rijksstudio users group works by theme, artist or period; reading their sets is a shortcut past building the same grouping yourself.
Counted once with only startup setup. Other versions, modes or optional credentials may expose a different list.
get_artist_timelineGenerate a chronological timeline of an artist's works in the Rijksmuseum collection. This tool is perfect for studying an artist's development, analyzing their artistic periods, or understanding their contribution to art history over time.
get_artwork_detailsRetrieve comprehensive details about a specific artwork from the Rijksmuseum collection. Returns extensive information including:
This is the primary tool for in-depth research on a specific artwork, providing all available museum documentation and metadata.
get_artwork_imageRetrieve detailed image tile information for high-resolution viewing of an artwork. This tool provides data for implementing deep zoom functionality, allowing detailed examination of the artwork at various zoom levels.
The response includes multiple zoom levels (z0 to z6):
Each zoom level contains:
This is particularly useful for:
get_user_set_detailsRetrieve detailed information about a specific user-created collection in Rijksstudio. Returns comprehensive information about the set and its contents, including:
This tool is particularly useful for:
get_user_setsRetrieve collections created by Rijksstudio users. These are curated sets of artworks that users have grouped together based on themes, artists, periods, or personal interests.
Each set includes:
This tool is useful for:
open_image_in_browserOpen a high-resolution image of an artwork in the default web browser for viewing. This tool is useful when you want to examine an artwork visually or show it to the user. Works with any valid Rijksmuseum image URL.
search_artworkSearch and filter artworks in the Rijksmuseum collection. This tool provides extensive filtering options including artist name, type of artwork, materials, techniques, time periods, colors, and more. Results can be sorted in various ways and are paginated.
BEFORE YOU INSTALL
7 tools when we connected.
Both documented setups run the server on your machine.
CONTEXT COST
Rated by the size of the 7 tool definitions that ride along on every turn, not by how many there are
INSTALLATION
npx -y mcp-server-rijksmuseum{
"mcpServers": {
"rijksmuseum-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-server-rijksmuseum"
],
"env": {
"RIJKSMUSEUM_API_KEY": "<YOUR_RIJKSMUSEUM_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}{
"mcpServers": {
"rijksmuseum-server": {
"command": "node",
"args": [
"<YOUR_PATH_TO_RIJKSMUSEUM_SERVER>/build/index.js"
],
"env": {
"RIJKSMUSEUM_API_KEY": "<YOUR_RIJKSMUSEUM_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
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