KLM Miniature 86

AMSTELVEEN, August 31, 2005 - KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will celebrate its 86th anniversary in true tradition with the introduction of a new Delftware miniature. The Delftware miniatures are usually replicas of historical buildings located in the Netherlands. The Teylers Museum in Haarlem was selected for the 86th house because it is the oldest museum in the Netherlands. A first copy of the miniature will be presented to Mrs. Scharloo, curator of Teylers Museum, by Mr. Varwijk, Senior Vice President & Area Manager Western Europe on the occasion of KLM’s 86th anniversary on October 7, 2005. KLM has been presenting the Delftware miniatures filled with Bols Dutch gin to its World Business Class passengers on intercontinental flights since the 1950s. The collection has grown in sync with KLM’s anniversary since 1994, with a new house being added each year. The Delftware miniatures have become highly prized collectors items in the Netherlands and abroad. The museum was named after Pieter Teyler van der Hulst (1702-1778), an influential cloth and silk manufacturer based in Haarlem. As a representative of the Age of Reason, he was enormously interested in art and science. He collected avidly in both areas in the belief that knowledge would enrich human nature. In his will he therefore specified that his riches were to be used to establish a foundation in support of art and science, amongst other objectives. The executors of Teyler's will decided to build a special space in which objects related to art and science could be unified. The books were meant for studies, the physics equipment was used for demonstration purposes, and the drawings were the subject of debate during art reviews. A decision was soon reached to open the collections for public viewing. In cooperation with the British Museum in London and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, Teylers Museum will be presenting a selection of ninety Michelangelo drawings between October 6, 2005 and January 8, 2006. This marks the first time in history when works from these three collections will be available together for viewing. The most commonly exhibited drawings are preliminary studies of well-known building and painting commissions in Rome and Florence. The Sistine Chapel in Rome is at the heart of the exhibition with works from the ceiling frescos and the mural of the Last Judgment.