From 1965 to 2000, Ton Stolk (1932–2021) assembled a collection of traditional instruments from Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania. In 1977, he and his wife Eva founded the Muziekinformatie- en Documentatiecentrum Ton Stolk in Vlaardingen (Zuid-Holland) to house this remarkable collection and its related documentation. The Stolks hoped their collection would eventually be integrated into a museum dedicated to musical instruments, which is why they approached the MIM.
The collection is currently being studied and catalogued by the MIM’s curators. It will soon be accessible to the public through the RMAH database (www.carmentis.be) and will reach a wider audience via the international MIMO database.
The acquisition of the Stolk collection is of great scientific interest due to the quality and diversity of the instruments. Some pieces fill notable gaps in the museum’s holdings - for example, this is the first time instruments from Israel and Jordan have entered the collection. Built up over a period of 35 years, the Ton Stolk collection also stands as a valuable testimony to the work of a dedicated private collector in the 20th century.
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