When large government-owned monuments are renovated it is customary in the Netherlands to appoint a restoration architect alongside the principal architect. Consequently, for the Rijksmuseum a separate selection was held among five architectural restoration firms. For this complex assignment, it proved difficult to formulate the brief and the responsibilities. Also, the addition of a theme – ‘Continue with Cuypers’ – gave rise to a great variety of interpretations concerning the building and the restoration.