The Project Gutenberg EBook of Old Houses in Holland, by Sydney R. Jones
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Title: Old Houses in Holland
Author: Sydney R. Jones
Editor: Charles Holme
Illustrator: Sydney R. Jones
Release Date: November 9, 2019 [EBook #60658]
Language: English
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OLD HOUSES IN HOLLAND
TEXT AND ILLUSTRATIONS
BY SYDNEY R. JONES, WITH
SOME ADDITIONAL PLATES IN
COLOUR AFTER OTHER ARTISTS
Edited by Charles Holme.
MCMXIII
"THE STUDIO" LTD.
LONDON, PARIS, NEW YORK
PREFATORY NOTE
The Editor desires to express his indebtedness to the following, who
have rendered valuable assistance in the preparation of this volume:
Mr. A. Pit, Director of the Nederlandsch Museum voor Geschiedenis
en Kunst, and other officials of the Rijks Museum, Amsterdam;
Messrs. P. C. J. A. Boeles and D. Draaisma, of the Friesch Museum,
Leeuwarden; Dr. B. van Rijswijk, Secretary of the Vereeniging
Oud-Dordrecht; Mr. W. Polman Kruseman, Secretary of the Zeeuwsch
Genootschap der Wetenschappen, Middelburg; and the Directors of the
British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Gallery,
and the Wallace Collection, London.
ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
After--
Pieter de Hooch "Interior of a Dutch House"
Frontispiece
,, ,, ,, "Interior with Woman peeling Apples" Opposite page 16
,, ,, ,, "Dutch Interior" ,, ,, 44
Johannes Vermeer "The Letter" ,, ,, 66
Catherine Bisschop-Swift "The Mirror" ,, ,, 80
Sydney R. Jones "Nijmegen, Gelderland" ,, ,, 98
Baron J. A. Hendrik Leys "Seventeenth-Century Dutch
Interior" ,, ,, 130
Sydney R. Jones "Hindeloopen Room at the Frisian
Museum, Leeuwarden" ,, ,, 140
Enamelled Earthenware Tiles (early 18th century)
Opposite pages 136 & 138
Delft Dishes (18th century) ,, ,, 144 & 146
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Introduction 1
Illustrations:--
Breda, North Brabant 5
Monnikendam, North Holland 7
Veere, Zeeland 9
Nijmegen, Gelderland (dated 1544) 11
Dordrecht, South Holland 13
Leiden, Rhijnland (dated 1612) 15
Haarlem, North Holland 17
Brigdamme, Zeeland 18
I.--The Development of Domestic Architecture 19
Illustrations:--
Groningen (1509) 21
Boxmeer, North Brabant 22
Gorinchem (Gorcum), South Holland 23
Breda, North Brabant 24
Middelburg, Zeeland 25
Franeker, Friesland 26
Dordrecht, South Holland 27
Dordrecht (dated 1702) 28
Haarlem, North Holland 29
Spaarwoude, North Holland 30
St. Laurens, near Middelburg, Zeeland 31
Haarlem, North Holland 32
Alkmaar, North Holland (dated 1609) 33
Hoorn, North Holland (dated 1612) 34
Middelburg, Zeeland 35
Hoorn, North Holland 36
,, ,, ,, 37
Woudrichem, North Brabant 38
Leiden, Rhijnland 39
Middelburg, Zeeland 40
Nijmegen, Gelderland (dated 1606) 41
Zutphen, Gelderland 42
,, ,, (dated 1547) 43
Veere, Zeeland 44
Haarlem, North Holland 45
Delft, South Holland 46
Haarlem, North Holland (dated 1637) 47
Alkmaar, North Holland (dated 1673) 48
Franeker, Friesland (dated 1634) 49
Corbel from Dordrecht 50
Mosaic brick and stonework from Dordrecht 50
Dordrecht, South Holland (dated 1608) 51
Workum, Friesland (dated 1663) 52
Arnhem, Gelderland (dated 1642) 53
Amsterdam--Rembrandt's House (dated 1606) 54
Zwolle, Overijssel--The Guild Hall (dated 1571) 55
Vlissingen (Flushing), Zeeland (dated 1614) 56
Dordrecht, South Holland (dated 1626) 57
Kampen, Overijssel (dated 1631) 58
,, ,, (dated on dormers 1634, 1626, 1730, 1630
and 1619) 59
Groningen--The "Goudkantoor" (dated 1635) 60
Groningen (1661) 61
Franeker, Friesland (dated 1662) 62
's Hertogenbosch, North Brabant (dated 1671) 63
Iron Wall-tie from Alkmaar 64
Alkmaar, North Holland (dated 1672) 65
's Gravenhage (The Hague), South Holland--"T'Goutsmits Keur
Huijs" 66
Velsen, North Holland 67
Spaarwoude, North Holland 68
Zutphen, Gelderland 69
Halfweg, North Holland 70
,, ,, ,, --showing construction of farmhouse 70
Spaarndam, North Holland 71
Schooten, North Holland 72
The Ferry House, near Gennep, North Brabant 73
Beek, Gelderland 74
Brigdamme, Zeeland (dated 1622) 75
Beek, Gelderland 76
Bloemendaal, North Holland 77
Broek, North Holland 78
,, ,, ,, 79
Well at Beugen, North Brabant 80
Beek, Gelderland 81
Bridge at Zuiderwoude, North Holland (dated 1799) 82
II.--Exterior Features--Doors, Windows, Gables and Ornaments 83
Illustrations:--
Woudrichem, North Brabant (dated 1611) 85
Leeuwarden, Friesland 86
Delft, South Holland 87
,, ,, ,, (dated 1547) 88
Haarlem, North Holland (dated 1632) 89
Leeuwarden, Friesland (dated 1675) 89
Leiden, Rhijnland (dated 1612) 89
,, ,, (dated 1615) 90
Vlissingen (Flushing), Zeeland 91
Marssum, Friesland (dated 1713) 92
Kampen, Overijssel (dated 1665) 93
Arnhem, Gelderland 94
Wooden Door, with iron fittings, from Dordrecht 95
,, ,, with carved lintel, from Haarlem 95
Leiden, Rhijnland (dated 1655) 96
Veere, Zeeland--The "Scotch House" 97
Wooden Window-frame, with iron fittings and lead glazing, from
Dordrecht 98
Window Shutter from Velsen 98
,, ,, ,, Nijmegen 99
,, ,, ,, Leiden 99
,, ,, ,, Dordrecht 99
,, ,, ,, Haarlem 100
,, ,, ,, Monnikendam 100
Zwolle, Overijssel 101
Kampen, Overijssel (dated 1626) 102
,, ,, (dated 1634) 102
Marssum, Friesland 102
Gorinchem (Gorcum), South Holland (dated 1566) 103
Kampen, Overijssel 104
Vlissingen (Flushing), Zeeland 105
Monnikendam, North Holland 106
Haarlem, North Holland 106
Dordrecht, South Holland (dated 1523) 107
Arnhem, Gelderland 108
Haarlem, North Holland 109
Leiden, Rhijnland 109
Amsterdam, North Holland 110
Wood details from Gelderland and South Holland 111
Zutphen, Gelderland 112
Hoorn, North Holland 112
Franeker, Friesland (curved gables dated 1573) 113
Carved stone lettering from Haarlem 114
,, ,, panel from Franeker 114
,, ,, ,, ,, Zutphen (dated 1615) 115
,, ,, ,, ,, Sneek 115
,, ,, ,, ,, Haarlem 115
,, ,, ,, ,, Workum 115
,, ,, ,, ,, Middelburg (house dated 1590) 116
,, ,, ,, ,, Haarlem 116
Woudrichem, North Brabant 117
Brick and Stone Mosaic from Zwolle 118
,, ,, ,, ,, Nijmegen 118
,, ,, ,, ,, Woudrichem 118
Zwolle, Overijssel (dated 1609) 119
Detail of Diaper-work from Franeker 120
Workum, Friesland 120
Iron Wall-ties 121
,, Date-sign from St. Anna, near Nijmegen 122
,, Wall-tie from Nijmegen 122
,, Weather-vane from Broek 122
,, Terminal from Middelburg 122
Lead Spout-heads from Zutphen 122
Oval Window with Stanchion-bar, from Leiden 122
Iron Wall-tie from Beugen 122
,, Door-furniture from Middelburg 123
,, Door-knocker 123
,, Weather-vane from Hees 124
Lead Finials from Hoorn 124
III.--Interiors and Decoration 125
Illustrations:--
Brass Candelabrum from Haarlem 127
Seventeenth-century Room from Dordrecht, South Holland 128
,, ,, ,, Leeuwarden, Friesland 129
Fireplace in the Bricklayers' Guild, Amsterdam 130
,, from Maastricht, Limburg (dated 1510) 131
Cast-iron Fireback from Leiden 132
Cast-iron Fireback from Nijmegen 132
Fireplace from Middelburg, Zeeland 133
Cast-iron Fireback from Middelburg 134
,, ,, ,, Jisp 134
Fireplace from The Westerwold, Groningen 135
Interior of a wooden house at Marken, North Holland 136
Brass Chimney-crane from Leeuwarden 136
Hindeloopen Room at the Frisian Museum, Leeuwarden 137
Carved Oak Panel from Zwolle (16th century) 138
Iron Hangers, Fire-irons and Fire-standard 139
Oak Panelling from Leiden 140
Hindeloopen Room at the Frisian Museum, Leeuwarden 141
Carved Door from Groningen (17th century) 142
Iron Lock-plate (16th century) 143
,, ,, (dated 1587) 143
,, Lock and Bolt 143
,, Door-handle and Escutcheon 143
Carved Door of Wall-cupboard, with pierced and engraved iron
fittings 143
Wall-cupboard with iron lock and hinges (16th century) 144
Carved Table from Edam 145
,, Cabinet from Haarlem 145
Table from Amsterdam 146
Wrought-iron Stair-Railing from Zierikzee 146
Brass Warming-pan (dated 1602) 147
Wickerwork Coffer with brass mounts (18th century) 147
Brass Fire-side set (18th century) 147
,, Candlestick ( ,, ,, ) 148
,, Tea-caddy ( ,, ,, ) 148
,, Pastille-burner 148
,, Foot-warmer (dated 1733) 148
,, Lantern (18th century) 148
Corridor in "St. Pietershofje," Hoorn, North Holland 149
Tiled Fireplace from Volendam, North Holland 150
,, ,, ,, Marken, North Holland 151
Interior of a wooden house at Marken, North Holland 152
INTRODUCTION
It is in the old towns of Holland that the architectural expression
of the Dutch people is to be sought. Theirs was an intimate and human
architecture, concerned with everyday events, and it developed out of
the civil and domestic life. Many of the towns continue to be busy
and prosperous, and new buildings here and there crowd in upon the
picturesque groups of houses that for centuries have clustered round
the great churches and market-places: in others, the active days of
commerce are over, the merchants come no more, and the streets and
waterways are quiet. But all Dutch towns having any pretension to
age possess, to a wonderful degree, what may be termed an old-world
atmosphere. Much of their charm, it is true, is due to the rivers and
canals that encircle and intersect them in all directions, imparting
a sense of quaintness and novelty; but it is the extraordinary number
of old buildings still existing, unchanged in form since the days
when they were erected and mellowed by ages of sun and rain, that ever
appeal to the eye and imagination. The fantastic gables and red roofs,
above which rise slender spires and belfries surmounted by leaden
flèches and wrought vanes, together with the waterways and canal life,
the windmills, and changing skies, are as characteristic now as when
the masters of the great Dutch School of painting were living and
working. Such scenes were to them inspiration; to picture the intimate
events associated was their delight. If the painters have gone--and
with them the arquebusiers and governors and burgomasters--the gables,
the sunlit courts, and many other familiar features remain.
The peculiar geographical conditions that have always existed in
Holland have affected in no small degree the development of the land
and the temperament of the people. Most of the country is below sea
level. Behind the dunes and dykes the sea threatens inundation; the
fear of accident by flood has kept the nation watchful and in perpetual
war with its ancient enemy. The influence of this natural check has
been far-reaching. It has produced the system of canals, determined
the character of the landscape, made accordant life and work, method,
regularity and order, and brought philosophy and fortitude to the
national mind. In the domain of building, as in other spheres, water
has been a powerful underlying agent affecting the evolution of style,
just as the mountains, forests and deserts of other countries have
imparted distinction to architecture.
Side by side with the external conditions imposed by Nature, conditions
that, if accepted, might well be expected to have produced an attitude
of extreme lack of initiative in those living amongst them, the Dutch
have ever been an enterprising people. The same spirit that defied
and conquered the inroads of the sea characterised their dealings
in the domain of commerce. Trade was to them the great business of
life. From very early times, and continuing for a long period, the
prosperity of the Low Countries was foremost in Europe. The towns
became centres of busy and pulsative life, the homes of virile civil
and domestic communities. Many old buildings still existing, town
halls, weigh houses, trade and guild halls, warehouses and merchants'
premises, bear witness to those strenuous days. An architecture in
close touch with the events of the times developed through, and by
reason of the successes achieved by industry and sustained advances
of conquest and colonization.
The phase of domestic art which is reviewed in this volume was
essentially the expression of a nation urgently concerned with the
material, matter-of-fact side of everyday life, and bore close kindred
to its needs, its aspirations and its achievements; it was corporeal
rather than spiritual in aspect, reflective of the market-place, the
fireside and the home. And while the continuous building tradition
of certain other countries was allied to ecclesiasticism, or was a
movement instigated by the aristocracy, in Holland it was democratic
in general trend, an art bound up in the interests of the people and
existing for their good and welfare. It was urban rather than rural in
its principles. Unlike the English growth, where the native building
art developed vigorously and lingered longest in the countryside--as
many an old village, manor-house or farm will demonstrate--the
equivalent vernacular Dutch development was pre-eminently of the
towns, and trade was the influence that gave it life. In a country
notable for its manufactures and commercial activities men congregated
together for mutual gain. A sturdy race they were, unimpressionable,
but kindly and charitable, and their comfortable homes were in keeping
with their temperament.
To better appreciate the course of architectural development,
it will be well to briefly cite the main circumstances connected
with these towns and with the country's history. Records of Dutch
towns prior to the twelfth century are scanty, although at that time
orderly government had begun to develop. Then followed the municipal
charters, many dating from the thirteenth century. These charters
were granted by the feudal lords to the townspeople and secured to
them certain rights and protection in return for taxation and levies;
justice was administered by various governing bodies and magistrates,
and the municipal finances were properly supervised. There thus
grew up a strong communal movement which was steadily developed
and strengthened. Then it was that the cities began their era
of great prosperity and each became practically self-governing
and semi-independent. Revenue was derived from the river commerce
and markets, over-sea trading, and from the industries which were
fostered. So powerful did they become, so energetic was their municipal
life, so well organised their trade, that these cities came to be
reckoned, together with the neighbouring towns of Flanders, the most
prosperous and wealthy in the world. As time went on the chief cities
became members of the Hanseatic League, which influential association
embraced trading colonies in places as far apart as London, Visby on
the island of Gotland, Novgorod the Great in Russia, Hamburg, Amsterdam
and Kampen on the Zuider Zee. Through the impetus of this remarkable
movement, the long-continued commercial relations between England and
Holland were established. About the middle of the thirteenth century
Hanse merchants settled in London, obtained privileges from Henry III.,
founded the Steelyard, and there developed a flourishing trade. The
intercourse between the two countries was very considerable, and it
was of the utmost importance to the Netherlands that nothing should
happen to weaken their good relations with England. For England
was then the principal wool-producing country of Europe, the only
place, in fact, able to supply it in large quantities, and the men
of the Low Countries, famed above all for their skill as weavers
and depending upon the woollen industry for their greatest wealth,
were eager buyers of English wool in the raw state. In the fifteenth
century, through dissension and war, the cities of Holland were ejected
from the Hanseatic League; but the Dutch, with their fine ships and
business acumen, continued to prosper and carried their conquests by
trade into far-distant lands.
It was while at the height of their material success that the provinces
of Holland came under the dominion of the house of Burgundy. The
peculiar independent constitution of the cities promoted rivalry
between them, rather than a common national interest which would
have been best for the preservation of their just rights. They were
heavily taxed and oppressed and were continually at variance with the
ruling power, fighting for the redress of their grievances. By the
first half of the sixteenth century the kingdom of the Netherlands
had passed to the Emperor Charles V., King of Spain, and Philip,
his son, inherited his father's throne. He thereby became monarch
of vast territories. Philip determined to utterly subjugate the
provinces and carried out a policy of relentless persecution. The
people rebelled, brutal punishment followed, and they became victims of
the worst excesses of the Inquisition. Deeds of cruelty, tyranny and
murder, almost unparalleled in history, were enacted. In those dark
days arose that great champion of the people, "William the Silent,"
Prince of Orange, the "father of his fatherland." Intent on defending
the liberties of the nation, he gathered around him a company of
gallant spirits, and, principally at his own expense, commenced what
at first appeared to be a hopeless struggle. But early victories,
hardly won, roused a cowed populace to action. The nation embarked
upon the memorable Eighty Years' War, which resulted in the Spanish
yoke being overthrown and the founding of the Dutch Republic. William
was basely assassinated at Delft in 1584, and Maurice, his second
son, succeeded him as Stadtholder. He was ambitious, shrewd, and
skilled in the arts of war, and under his rule, and that of his
brother Frederick Henry, who succeeded him in 1625, the fortunes of
the Dutch gradually rose high. Through times of trial and suffering,
hardships endured and conquests won, they emerged valorous and strong,
a nation of heroes. Triumphs of arms by land and sea, successes of
the merchant fleets and navigators who explored remote parts of the
world, the founding of colonies, and ingenuity on the part of the
workers in home manufactures, characterised a notable period of great
prosperity; the Dutch became supreme in trade, chief rulers of the
sea, and accumulated vast wealth. As the seventeenth century advanced
commercial welfare continued to increase. Admirals Tromp and De Ruyter
swept the seas, gaining brilliant naval victories; in 1667 the safety
of London itself was threatened by the appearance of the Dutch fleet
in the Thames. But the mastery of the sea eventually passed to England
and from that time the fortunes of the Dutch declined. The election
of William III.--who had married Princess Mary, daughter of the Duke
of York--to the English throne in 1689 marked the close of Holland's
greatest days.
Early Dutch secular architecture is in the spirit of the late
Gothic style. The most valuable monuments of that period are the
civic buildings which herald a time when public life--as opposed to
ecclesiastical--assumed an importance and dignity capable of being
symbolized in brick and stone; when power acquired by trade found
expression in its own distinctive forms, and the wealthy burghers of
the towns erected municipal buildings which stand for all time as the
embodiment of their ideals. Such is the Town Hall at Middelburg by
Ant. Keldermans the Younger, one of that famous family of architects
of Malines. It is a stone erection of fine proportions, enriched with a
wealth of detail, sculptured figures, sunk panelling and many turrets;
tiers of dormers break up the roof surface and the whole is surmounted
by a noble and boldly conceived tower. At Veere, not far distant,
is a smaller example (opposite) built in 1474 by another member of
the Keldermans family. While owning some similarity to its fellow
at Middelburg, the treatment is simpler, but the proportions are
exquisite, and the peculiar grace of the belfry is outstanding. The
characteristic richness of surface decoration which was then common
may also be seen on the sandstone façade of the "Gemeenlandshuis"
at Delft, with its elaborate traceries and parapet belonging to the
early sixteenth century. The aforementioned are stone buildings
and betray the influence of French Gothic, but the especially
individual Netherlandish interpretation of Gothic was developed in
the brick architecture. Brickwork was much employed and the nature
of the material--not so responsive as stone in the hands of the
craftsmen--limited the possibilities of ornamental treatment. Detail
had to be simplified and adapted to the means available for carrying
it out; the example from Nijmegen (p. 11), dated 1544, furnishes an
instance of how it was handled. It is in this early brickwork that the
germs of the Dutch transitional Renaissance style are to be traced;
its root principles were derived not only from the public buildings,
but from the churches also--vast piles whose bold masses and ornaments
were logically developed out of the material, and whose millions of
little bricks, jointed together, stand as impressive memorials of
patient labour.
Mediæval domestic work followed in the wake of the civic. Not many
examples remain. Of those that have survived most belong to the late
fifteenth or the first half of the sixteenth century. The current
forms of the period were employed--panelling and projecting surface
decoration, more often in brickwork than stone; arched window-heads
ornamented with tracery; circular brick turrets surmounted by conical
roofs; stepped gables having pinnacles rising from the copings;
steep roofs pierced by dormers; and the somewhat florid, rich, but
carefully wrought detail.
In contrast to the scarcity of Gothic domestic buildings, those
of the Transitional period--from Gothic to Renaissance--are very
numerous. Many examples are to be found in the old towns where rows
of houses, much out of the perpendicular, rise from the canalsides
and paved roadways. They are narrow and very high and are surmounted
by gables which are often of fantastic shape and curious outline,
picturesque from the draughtsman's point of view and full of subject
for the painter. Strange though it now seems, and quite beyond
reasonable explanation, the greatest art movement that Holland has
ever known flourished at the close of those troublous times when she
was at war with Spain. It was then that the painters, with startling
suddenness, came into their full powers, and Hals, Rembrandt, Van der
Helst, Gerard Dou, Paul Potter, Jan Steen, Ruysdael and De Hooch, with
a host of brilliant companions, followed in quick succession. They
created a new art, a school of painting with original conceptive
views and unrivalled executive skill. Contemporaneously with this
artistic activity developed the peculiarly specific Dutch style of
domestic architecture. Existing examples prove how energetically the
building craft was then carried on, and show how its characteristics
were matured during the closing years of the sixteenth century and
onwards through the century following. Many of the Town Halls and
Weigh Houses, which set the fashion for the private dwellings, are of
this time; Leiden 1598, Haarlem 1602, Nijmegen 1612, Bolsward 1614,
Workum 1650, and numerous others.
It was in the sixteenth century that the influence of the Renaissance
gained ground in Holland, and with it came new canons and new impulses,
revived interest in classical literature and art. And in connection
with it, it is significant to note that Erasmus, one of the most
distinguished of the Humanists, was born at Rotterdam in 1466;
during a life of much travel and varied residence he was often in
the Low Countries, prosecuting his own self-culture and advocating
his doctrines.
The Transitional period lasted long and the buildings associated with
it in many ways resemble those of England, erected in the style known
as Elizabethan. The real significance of the revolutionary Renaissance
art was not grasped or understood. The Gothic form of house long held
its own and to it was added the heavy Dutch interpretation of the newer
style, a rendering showing French rather than Italian feeling. But
nevertheless, however well or ill applied, the use of Classic motifs
in architecture became a firmly-established and general practice.
But the great changes in religious and intellectual thought that
transpired during the sixteenth century did not so quickly influence
the domain of architecture as might be supposed. No sudden breach
with the inherited style occurred, although the ancient life and
faith were passing. The Gothic tradition, which had been handed
down from generation to generation, continued on. The national
temperament was opposed to innovation, and the Dutch people clung to
that which had been evolved through long years of experiment; they
were unwilling to give up those forms that had been satisfying to
their forefathers. So the new fashion in architecture was at first
but tardily accepted and made little headway against the olden
practices. Early tentative efforts were confined to novelties of
detail introduced in gable ornaments, window-heads and doorways; the
traditional forms of building remained unaltered, and fresh types of
ornament were simply added to them for no very definite or intelligent
reason. As time went on the Renaissance influence gradually became
more established, but there was evidently no unanimity of opinion on
the merits of it. Some looked upon it with favour; others viewed it
with suspicion and preferred to keep to that which had served so well
for preceding generations. As a consequence, the development was not
uniform throughout the country. Thus a house at Alkmaar, bearing the
late date of 1673, has arched window-heads and step gable terminated
with a pointed arch quite in the Gothic manner; while a façade erected
at Zwolle one hundred and two years earlier unmistakably betrays its
Classic origin by the details with which it is adorned.
After a changeful period, during which the architectural impulses
were halting between the acceptance of the new and the retention of
the old, men who directed public taste eventually adopted what they
understood to be the Renaissance ideas. Behind them was a strong tide
of inherited tradition which continued to flow on. To it they brought
their own interpretation of the new movement, and the two forces ran
side by side for many years.
Foremost among the earlier architects who turned to classicism for
fresh inspiration were Lieven de Key, Hendrik de Keyzer and Cornelius
Danckerts. Hendrik de Keyzer was born at Utrecht in 1565 and died at
Amsterdam in 1621. He was appointed architect to the city of Amsterdam
in 1594, and his name is connected with buildings both in that town
and elsewhere. One of his most notable works is the monument erected
at Delft to the memory of William the Silent. Cornelius Danckerts was
associated with de Keyzer and lived from 1561 to 1631. Born at Ghent
about the year 1560, Lieven de Key worked principally at Haarlem and
Leiden. He was the author of the celebrated Meat Market at Haarlem,
a remarkable building which has evoked both praise and disparagement;
it was completed in 1603. He was responsible for the design of other
civic buildings as well as numerous private dwellings. Such men as
these had their followers and founded schools of architecture in the
places of their professional activities. There was thus a vigorous
body of men working at Haarlem; while Amsterdam, which had become
virtually the political and commercial capital as well as the centre
of the arts, had its own assembly of architects who were particularly
energetic in the city and exercised great influence in the adjacent
districts. The results of their accomplishments are still apparent,
and the many large and sober gabled houses suggest to the imagination
the comparative splendour of seventeenth-century Amsterdam.
The buildings of this period are quaint and charming. If somewhat
lacking in serious architectonic qualities, they are inseparably
connected with the national sentiments; they stand as lasting evidences
of human emotion expressed through the medium of brick and stone. The
streets lined with ancient houses are witnesses of a great past, and
bring to remembrance those strong and earnest men who honoured hearth
and threshold and fought to save their fatherland from tyranny and
threatened ruin. Above all, the structures bear upon them the impress
of the intellectual life which was concerned with their production. The
work itself is thoroughly Dutch in character, full of suggestion, and
the materials are well handled. That of the early Renaissance is the
best, and in it the two streams of thought--mediæval and classic--are
seen harmoniously blended. A good example from Leiden, by Lieven de
Key, is illustrated opposite; signs of the new influence are obvious in
the details, yet it has the traditional form of stepped gable; while
there is a freedom of handling discernible in the disposition of the
ground floor features which was dictated by convenience rather than
symmetrical arrangement. All the work, however, was not so reasonable
as this. Gables of extraordinary and curious outline began to appear,
remarkable certainly for fertility of invention, but often lacking
in delicacy and restraint. Isolated stone ornaments, unconnected with
constructive principles, were applied to vacant wall spaces. They were
decorated with lion-heads, armorial bearings, strapwork, cartouches,
winged heads and panels in relief, all vigorously carved. Many of
the subjects were seemingly derived from published pattern books and
decorative designs, and lack that independence of conception which
distinguishes all inspired craftsmanship.
Evidence goes to prove that the men who made the designs for the
buildings had not yet become detached from the building trades. They
were not architects within the present meaning of that term. They
were described as masons, stonecutters, and the like, and no doubt
were master-builders who, in addition to supplying the design, had
a personal hand in the execution of the work of their own particular
craft. The idea that a trained director should conceive the work as a
whole, and marshal all the supplementary arts to proper subjugation,
had not yet been evolved. Architecture as a separate force was not
recognised.
Results automatically grew out of the united efforts of the sculptors,
bricklayers, carpenters and masons who were engaged on the same
production. So de Key, in addition to acting as a designer, was
the city mason of Haarlem; H. de Keyzer was sculptor to the city of
Amsterdam; and these are typical instances of the conditions then
prevailing. It is also not surprising to find in this country, where
government by municipalities was so well developed, that the architects
were often official servants of the towns. Two such are mentioned
above; Dryfhout was town architect of Middelburg, and Ambrosius van
Hanenberch held a similar position at 's Hertogenbosch. [1] The demand
for qualified men to protect and guide the public artistic needs was
appreciated, a wise and excellent practice from which present-day
authorities in England might well take a lesson.
With the advancing seventeenth century came a keener desire for the
employment of purer forms of Renaissance art. Architects turned their
thoughts to the Italian ideal, which they modified, yet preserved
in its essential characteristics. Chief among the exponents of the
developed style were Jacob van Campen and Phillippus Vinckboons,
both of Amsterdam; and Pieter Post of Haarlem. The massive Town Hall
of Amsterdam--now the Royal Palace--by van Campen, is one of the
most important buildings of this period. It was erected between the
years 1648 and 1655. But the severe classic ideas, directing towards
uniformity and symmetrical arrangements, were never really at home, nor
did they displace the weakening influence of inherited tradition. In
the general mass of work the Dutch national genius continued to
assert itself. Up to the time when the native architecture became
devoid of character and personality, the houses and trade buildings
in which the people lived and worked--even if of strange appearance
or sometimes fantastic beyond description--retained an unmistakable
flavour of the vernacular and owned something of that playfulness
and quaint invention that were the heritage of mediæval times.
It is fitting to conclude this Introduction by referring to the
effect of Dutch upon English architecture. For our style of domestic
building has in the past owed something to knowledge gained from the
Low Countries; details have been derived from the Dutch and their
practices adopted. Most obviously the influence is to be seen in the
Eastern counties, although it penetrated more or less throughout the
country; Staffordshire can show it as well as Norfolk, Wiltshire as
well as Kent. To those men of the Netherlands who early engaged in
English commerce the germs of this influence are to be traced. Not
that many of these foreigners were actively connected with the building
trades, but, during a long period of trading intercourse and settlement
by merchants and artisans, they, as a matter of course, left distinct
impressions of their own ideas. Onward from the fourteenth century
the influx of Flemings and Dutchmen into England was considerable
and the reasons for their coming various. Apart from the traders,
skilled artisans were encouraged to settle for the purpose of
improving the home manufactures. Oppression, too, was responsible
for many immigrants; to cite an instance, thousands of people left
Holland when the harsh Duke of Alva, acting for Philip of Spain,
was in 1567 appointed commander of the forces, and numbers of
them found refuge in England. But the presence of foreigners such
as these, most of whom were not engaged in the building crafts,
had only an indirect effect upon the local architecture. It was the
imported artificers, coming from Germany as well as the Netherlands,
who brought a new development to English building. "Throughout the
reign of Elizabeth," writes Professor Blomfield, "their influence
was in the air and predominant." The results of it are obvious in
work then erected, notably in the long series of country houses with
strapwork ornament, peculiar decoration of porches and fireplaces,
and much patterned woodwork. Again, with the advent of Dutch William
to the English throne, further new features were introduced and they
are especially traceable in the admirable brickwork of the Queen
Anne style. But the lasting and altogether good effect of Dutch
influence was on traditional, rather than academic architecture, on
those quiet and unpretentious buildings of the countryside. Here the
foreign motives were almost imperceptibly blended with those existing,
neither suddenly nor inharmoniously. A feature was added here, a detail
there, yet the work remained truly English in character. Old villages
can yet show buildings that bear upon them traces of an alien hand, or
embody ideas drawn from other than local sources of inspiration. Such
are the East Kentish cottages at Sandwich, Ickham, Reading Street and
Sarre; the halls and manor-houses of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, with
corbie-stepped and curved gables; the high brick barns of the Eastern
counties; and endless picturesque groupings of certain distinction
that exist up and down the land. The industrious settlers from over
the water certainly brought something to our traditional architecture,
gave it qualities that helped to make it what it was. And when they
came to erect their dwellings on foreign soil, they cherished the
memory of their own country, and turned their thoughts to home and
to the houses on the tree-lined streets and waterways of Holland.
DIVISION I
THE DEVELOPMENT OF DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE
The only really abundant building materials in Holland were
bricks. Stone was available in limited quantities, but not readily
so. Brick-earths there were in plenty, and brick-building has been
practised continuously from the dawn of Dutch architecture to the
present day. The inhabitants, after long and intimate association,
became very proficient in the use of bricks, skilful in applying
them, and apt to quickly realize the possibilities afforded by this
material. There is, therefore, a great deal of old work of exceptional
interest which is, in addition, valuable for the suggestions it
presents.
The creation and development of an architectural style, depending
upon brickwork as the medium for its execution, call into being
considerable powers of ingenuity. For the limitations of bricks
are definite and circumscribed; the unit is small and its size not
subject to variation. Moreover, enrichment can only be obtained by
careful disposition and arrangement of the units, and the almost
unlimited scope possessed by stone, wood or plaster--both in respect
to size of parts and effects of surface decoration--is nearly
non-existent. Difficulties such as these have to be realised and
overcome, but good results are not easily secured. The preconceived
ideas in the mind, the general proportions, and the disposition of
features, are governed to a degree by the nature of the building
material. And for these reasons, the bonding of the walling, colour
arrangements, width and finish of the mortar joints, and the precise
manner of forming details, all contribute markedly to the ultimate
appearance of the whole. Good brickwork depends, even more than other
forms of building, upon a complete understanding of the capabilities
of the medium; skill in manipulating it is secondary only to capacity
for design.
It was in the use of bricks that the Dutch were especially
successful. Qualified by experience gained through years of experiment,
their achievements were dexterous and often daring. They were
thoroughly at home with brickwork, alive to its restrictions as well as
its possibilities, and they handled it in a spontaneous and reasonable
way. All the features and details of some buildings had to be suitably
designed for execution in this not very pliable material--gables
(page 21), windows, doorways (shown above), decoration, mouldings
and traceries. Problems such as these, definitely existing, were
satisfactorily solved. The craftsmen thought in brickwork, as it
were, and forms were more or less dictated by the means available
for carrying them out. Not that stone was ignored; on the contrary,
it was doubtless used when it could be obtained, as our illustrations
plainly show. Thus, it was employed not only for ornamental details
but often for the entire structures. Wood had its uses too, as may be
seen in the half-timbered houses at Dordrecht or the wooden-fronted
ones at Gorinchem (Gorcum), illustrated opposite; and plaster entered
into the construction of many country buildings. But the prevailing
conditions brought about an advanced development of brickwork and
through it the vital building tradition was evolved.
The old bricks themselves were particularly well shaped and the
proportion of height to length gave a long and narrow appearance. How
narrow they actually were will be realised when it is stated that it
not infrequently happens we find them no more than 1-1/4 inches high.
Some of the sizes noted are 1-1/4 inches by 6-3/4 inches to 7 inches at
Workum; 1-1/2 inches by 7 inches at Breda (page 24); 1-1/2 inches by
8-1/2 inches, and 1-3/4 inches by 7 inches to 8-1/2 inches at Haarlem;
and 2 inches by 9 inches at 's Hertogenbosch. They were laid with five,
six, or seven courses to the foot, and sometimes the door and window
openings were formed with smaller sized bricks than those used for the
main walling. It was only rarely that comparatively large bricks were
employed. Some may be seen in the walls of the old Abbey at Middelburg,
and "Thvis van Leeninge" (page 25), situated in the same town, has
bricks measuring 2-1/2 inches by 9-1/2 inches; while a building at
Franeker, in Friesland, is carried out in unusually large bricks,
which vary in size from 3 inches to 3-1/2 inches by 10-1/2 inches
to 11-1/2 inches. The joints are widest in the older work and were
either finished with dark mortar, no lighter in tone than the bricks,
or were raked out and pointed up with light mortar. The bond almost
universally adopted was that known by the name of "English" and not,
as is often erroneously stated, "Flemish." English bond consists of
alternate courses of headers and stretchers; that is to say, one course
of bricks, all placed longways, upon a course all laid endways, and so
continuously up the wall. Flemish bond, rarely to be seen in Holland,
has alternate headers and stretchers in every course. Dutch brickwork
shows a wide range of colouring. Some is very dark and of a purple
tint; some is yellow, particularly in the neighbourhood of Dordrecht;
red bricks there are in every town; while at Breda they gradate from
lemon yellow to a delicate salmon pink. It will be perceived that
materials such as these offered means for harmonious combinations. The
possibilities were appreciated, and about the country there exist
many happy effects which were secured by blending the various coloured
bricks. It was a favourite method to build walls with parti-coloured
bands running horizontally through them in the manner shown from
Franeker (page 26), where four courses of red bricks interchange
with one of yellow. Mouldings and surrounds to openings often
contrasted with the prevailing colour of the building. As an
illustration of this, the example from Dordrecht (below) may be
cited; the walls are formed with yellow bricks and the decorated
window-heads with red. In addition to effects obtained by colour
harmonies, enrichment was secured by applying moulded and shaped
brickwork. It was confined principally to the doorways, windows and
string courses, and how successful this system of ornamentation can
be will be realised by further reference to the two above-mentioned
drawings. Among other familiar features of Dutch buildings are the
mosaic decorations which generally occupy the arched spaces over
window-heads. Made up of simple units--square or shaped bricks and
little pieces of stone--they were set together to form repeating
patterns and devices. Many of the houses, such as that at Dordrecht
(page 27), attain distinction by reason of these interesting and
freely rendered details, and they will be more fully considered in
the following chapter on exterior features.
Pantiles were almost universally used for roof-coverings in the towns,
while in the country thatching was freely employed. Under certain
conditions the good qualities of pantiles show conspicuously. Where the
country is level and the landscape low, and big changing sky-effects
constantly recur, they look particularly homely and suitable. Their
curved surfaces quickly respond to play of light, becoming successively
bright in the sunlight or mellow-toned in the shadow. They have the
appearance, too, of being well able to withstand the wind and the
rain. Holland is a country having the attributes for the successful use
of these tiles; moreover, they blended in every way with the prevailing
brick architecture, both of the towns and of the villages, as is shown
by the illustrations from Haarlem (page 29) and St. Laurens (page
31). They were not always of that bright red colour usually associated
with pantiles. Many were made from a grey clay and look not unpleasing;
especially in the town and neighbourhood of Zutphen they can be well
observed. The thatched roofs of the countryside do not present any
special characteristics. They were contrived to accomplish their
purpose in a straightforward way. Brought down directly from ridge
to eaves, or arranged pyramidally, they have no added decoration in
straw-work. The ridge was protected by a course of half-round tiles
of which the farmhouse at Spaarwoude (page 30) furnishes an example,
and the roof of this building, arranged part in thatch and part in
pantiles, is an instance of a fairly prevalent practice.
Passing from the consideration of building materials to that of
planning, it may be stated as a general rule that the ground plans of
the old work were usually determined by the exigencies of practical
requirements. The very narrow frontage of many of the houses gave
little latitude for variation of interior disposition: for it will be
noticed that the majority of the houses were built with gable-ends
facing to the streets, and these consequently became the principal
elevations. The measurement from front to back of each was thus much
greater than that from side to side. The economical and practical
way of treating such an area would be to arrange a passage at the
side, directly through from front to back, which would, as well,
give access to the rooms and stairs; and this is what was generally
done. Such a passage, sketched from the outside pavement, is shown on
this page. This expedient was not necessary when the building had a
wider frontage, and in such a case the way through was often placed
more or less centrally, in the manner illustrated from Alkmaar on
page 33. On the other hand, the narrow house at Hoorn (page 34) has
a central entrance, and here it gives immediate access to the front
room. But the passage was an important feature of Dutch planning and
gave the fundamental idea for general disposition.
The internal arrangements were disclosed by the elevations and a
guiding principle of Gothic design was thereby followed. The positions
of lofty rooms, ways of access, staircases and different floor levels,
were as much as possible made obvious on the outside of the buildings.
This practice led to many happy results. Not fettered by artificial
conventions or limited by unyielding laws, the designers were able to
give scope to their invention. Utility and convenience set the theme
for spontaneous fancy to adorn. These were the motive powers, the
guiding impulses that lay behind the early work, and they continued
to operate with more or less force for many generations. The series of
houses in the "Balans" at Middelburg (page 35) furnishes a good example
of a group that owed its inception to such influences. While there is
harmony between part and part no two are alike. One house is higher
than its fellow; one comes forward over the paved way while another
recedes. Doorways and windows are conveniently, but not too evenly
disposed. The brightly painted window-shutters give lively colour, and
isolated features--such as the staircase turret seen on the right--show
with telling effect. Gables of differing shape break the skyline.
Utilitarian in lighting the rooms of the roofs, the dormers
æsthetically serve to carry the eye up to the ridges. The whole
impression, if irregular, is picturesque to a degree. Contemplating
an effect such as this, so powerful in its human appeal to the eye
and mind, it is difficult to appreciate those arguments which are
advanced against principles capable of giving such satisfying results.
The most characteristic essential of domestic architecture in
Holland is the steeply-pitched gable. It was derived from Gothic
sources. Gables owning this influence almost invariably have the
lines of their two ascending sides broken by a series of steps which
continue upwards from base to apex. They are consequently called
"stepped," and such gables will be observed in the drawing from
Middelburg mentioned above. The acute rake of the gables determined
the slant of the roofs. This circumstance, together with the fact
that houses usually had little frontage to the streets, gave great
roof spaces incapable of being adequately lighted by windows inserted
in the walls. So the fore part consisted of a room (or rooms) which
was generally assigned to servants, and the rear area, lighted by
dormers, was used for storing and kindred purposes, one all-important
among the latter being that of "drying washing." These dormers were
quite important factors in architectural composition; each had hinged
and painted shutters and a little steep roof. Sometimes they were
elaborated, as may be seen, for instance, in the drawing from Hoorn
(page 37). The dormer eventually became a much developed feature. In
examples such as those shown from Leiden (page 39), where two of the
houses are not ended by a gable, the main roof would be hipped back. A
certain number of dwellings were built with one of the longest sides
occupying the main frontage. The house at Hoorn (page 36) was so
constructed. The floor-joists, carried through the walling, are exposed
to view; they project beyond the face of the ground floor wall and
support an overhanging upper storey. Similar examples occur at
Vlissingen (Flushing), and there the joist-ends are carved with
representations of small human heads, each of different design.
Very noticeable, both in early and later work, is the great height
of ground-floor rooms and passages. They not uncommonly measure from
eleven to thirteen feet, or even more, from floor to ceiling. The
windows, proportionate to the rooms, are extremely lofty. Over entrance
doorways are fanlights of conspicuous size, which are occasionally
nearly as large as the doors themselves. Some houses, with very high
front rooms abutting on the street, have at the back two stories
contained within this same height. The example from Woudrichem (page
38) is disposed in this way; the fore part of the hall, from which
the drawing was made, together with the adjoining room are almost
twice as lofty as the passage seen beyond; the stairs give access to
the imposed intermediate floor. Heights of rooms gradually diminish
upward from the ground, and the string-courses that externally mark
the position of the floors, are consequently nearest together far up
the walls and gables.
It will be seen by the foregoing how construction and practical
arrangement went hand in hand with design, neither one being divorced
from the other. Especially is this demonstrated by the Gothic
buildings and those which primarily betray a Gothic origin. The house
from Middelburg (page 40) is given as an example. It is a highly
successful piece of grouping, and the features show with admirable
effect. The walls are of brickwork and the dressings of stone. On the
gable-end bands of stone alternate with courses of bricks, while set
back in the angle the well-placed turret, steep-roofed and soaring,
dominates the composition. How accurately the value of horizontal and
vertical elements was estimated, and how cunningly they were opposed
to each other, will be observed. The gateway from Nijmegen (page 41)
was conceived in much the same spirit as the above, and here again
the turret was effectively employed. Both it and the pointed archway
are in quite the Gothic manner; but the crow-stone, or terminating
member of the gable, the band of diaper executed in brick and stone,
and the details of the windows (near to which the date of 1606 appears)
point to other influences.
On the exterior walls of the house from Zutphen (page 43) can be seen
the sunk panels, set back from the main face of the brickwork, which
served for the insertion of windows. They often extend from near the
ground to well up the gable. The dividing projections, turned with
arches at their extremities, give bold upright lines. In the example
cited these lines have evidently been broken by the rebuilding of the
first-storey wall. It is dated 1547. The upper part, showing the sunk
panel bordered by moulded bricks, the arched head--in this instance
pointed and supported on each side by small circular turrets--and
the shuttered window, is given in detail on page 42.
A noticeable treatment of the ground floor elevation is exemplified
by the two drawings from Alkmaar and Hoorn (pages 33 and 34), already
considered, and by that from Veere (page 44). Each is constructed
principally in woodwork, and the many windows amply serve to light the
lofty rooms. The wooden mullions are simply shaped and enriched, while
over them is a moulded cornice. Above the lower series of windows in
the Alkmaar example is a projecting hood, which affords protection from
the weather. The date of 1609 is carved upon it, and other buildings
having this characteristic usually belong to the opening years of the
seventeenth century. A more artistic and satisfactory solution to the
difficult problem of adequately lighting the entire side of a high room
or shop would not easily be found in the old work of any other country.
It is not possible to make any hard and fast division between Gothic
and Renaissance work. The actual dates of the buildings form no
conclusive key, for it has been demonstrated in the Introduction
how the later development did not advance evenly throughout the
country. Houses built in the traditional way, and in a mixture of
styles, are to be seen in almost all old towns (page 45). Sometimes
one influence shows predominantly, sometimes another. The brick and
stone façade at Delft (page 46) has all the attributes of Gothic work,
pointed arches, overhanging stories, stepped gable and pinnacles. But
the spirit of the carved details is different. The heads in circles,
cherubs, vases, cornucopias, lion-heads, dolphins, eagles and acanthus
ornament are all subjects far removed from Gothic ideas, as are the
delicately carved corbels from which the arches spring.
Two other houses that owe much to Gothic influences are those from
Haarlem (page 47) and Alkmaar (page 48). The first-named was built in
1637 and the second in 1673. The more recently dated example shows,
in point of style, the earlier architectural form. Both have the
customary stepped gable and window-heads, the Alkmaar examples being
elliptically arched and those at Haarlem pointed. But in the latter
instance the keystones are furnished with Renaissance ornaments,
as is the crowning pediment of the gable.
The three following buildings mark a further step forward in
architectural development. In general disposition of masses they
accord with olden practices, but the decorative details approximate
Renaissance ideas. "De Crimpert Salm" at Dordrecht (page 51), of 1608,
presents a rich appearance, but the profuse elaboration of the front
was not achieved by accident or haphazard use of material. The balance
of the design was obviously well considered. Horizontal motives,
intensified below the first-floor level, give a stable base for the
lavishness overhead; above, they repeat with less force and are finally
carried up the gable by the steps. The vertical lines, obtained
principally by the window openings and frames, are similarly reduced
towards the top, and there the curved elements are concentrated. Upon
a low wall of stone and brick stands the woodwork front of the ground
floor. Next in order comes a broad band of mosaic decoration executed
in brick and stone (page 50), bounded at each end by lion-heads in high
relief, and divided centrally by a stone panel with a salmon carved
upon it. Other mosaics show in the arched spaces over the windows of
the next storey (page 50), while the equivalent space in the gable is
filled with arranged brickwork. Moulded bricks and stonework, plain and
carved, all contribute to the exuberance of the scheme. The small
example from Franeker (page 49) is built in brick and stone and was
erected in 1634. It has the traditional gable but the old type of step,
small in height and width, was not followed. Two steps only suffice to
reach the gable-head and the side of each is finished with shaped
stonework, a method of completion not employed in earlier times. Later
in date than these two houses, that from Workum (page 52) gives an
instance both of the persistence of established practice and of the
human desire for newness and change. The builder evidently could
neither forget nor abandon the general form of house arrangement that
he knew so well, and to it he kept. This is especially obvious in the
gable which mounts up in quite the Gothic way. The pilasters on the
ground and first storey, however, plainly show that an attempt was
made to keep in touch with the prevailing mode of the period. Each is
terminated by a Corinthian capital and festoons of fruit are carved
upon the panels. In these particulars the work, which was completed
in 1663, was in agreement with the then advancing Classic taste. The
bricks used in the walls are plum coloured and measure but 1-1/4
inches wide.
Designers were thus getting farther away from Gothic architecture. The
political and religious events of the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries revolutionized old beliefs. Time-honoured faiths were not
only given up, but were viewed with positive distrust. The powers
that had swayed the people of the Middle Ages, the mysticism, ideals,
and poetry of their lives, were unrealities to the great majority of
seventeenth-century Hollanders; such doctrines fell meaningless upon
their senses, and were to them but unintelligible and empty forms. They
not unnaturally turned from a creed in whose name loathsome crimes
had been committed and countless lives had been sacrificed. It was
a time of new life and faith. This change in the trend of thought is
amply reflected in the domestic architecture. The Gothic tradition,
already more or less alienated from the public sympathies, had almost
spent itself. Its vitality was gone and only as a survival, a mere
shadow of former glory, was it carried on. The old order gave place
to the new. But it was long before a fresh system of planning came
to be generally accepted and mediæval methods of construction and
workmanship still persisted. Classic motives, however, were
increasingly applied to the elevations. All the features, and the
entire decoration of many of the houses, were often the direct
outcome of Renaissance influences. In some few cases--such as the
gateway at Arnhem of 1642 (page 53)--the whole schemes were conceived
in the Classic spirit and were evidently designed by men of advanced
intelligence, who were able to comprehend the significance of the
style in which they worked.
Rembrandt's house at Amsterdam (page 54) is an able achievement,
sober and dignified. The walls are built of ochre-coloured bricks,
with stone used for the dressings. The date of 1606 appears on the
upper storey. It has no gabled front, but a projecting cornice and
pediment make division between the roof and wall surface. Above
are two dormers placed in balanced order; while the roof, steeply
rising and hipped and having a chimney at each end of the ridge,
completes the studied arrangement. So far the work is in the style
of the Renaissance, and it is only by the windows below that earlier
influences are recalled: but the two themes are so well blended as
to be perfectly harmonious. The net result is simple and reasonable
and by no means lacking in scholarship. Very different is the Guild
Hall at Zwolle (page 55), erected thirty-five years earlier. Its too
fussy elaboration is in sharp contrast with the comparative
restraint of Rembrandt's house, just mentioned. Classicism was
applied without the Classic spirit and with little understanding
of its real import. The general effect is rich and complex, but the
composition lacks breadth and is overladen with ornament. Some of the
details disclose good craftsmanship, notably the frieze which runs
across the entire front at the first floor level, carved with cupids
on horseback, old men with tridents, satyrs and flowing foliage,
and broken at intervals by lion-heads worked on the bases of the
pilasters. At the second storey is a Doric frieze, with sculptured
circular ornaments and heads of bulls appearing in the metopes between
the triglyphs. The gable, mediæval in feeling, is curly in outline;
it is further complicated by the introduction of reclining satyrs and
lascivious demi-gods that quaintly break the skyline. The designer
evidently proposed to himself the Italian ideal, but did not grasp
the meaning or refinement of it. Many details came to be used in
a similar way, such, for instance, as those shown from Dordrecht
(page 50) and Flushing (page 56), but, although often of admirable
workmanship, they were never coherent parts of a self-evolved whole.
A house of somewhat unusual appearance is that in the Voorstraat at
Dordrecht, dated 1626 and illustrated on page 57. At the top is an
open arcade constructed wholly in bricks, with the exception of the
stones upon which the arches rest. The brick walls are relieved by
stonework, while projecting pilasters separate the large lead-glazed
and shuttered windows.
Houses that depended upon dormers for their controlling architectural
idea were common in the seventeenth century. The front wall is usually
only one storey high and the dormers rise from it at the line of the
eaves. When the frontage is wide and the building long and low, as
is the case at Kampen (page 59), these features--shaped and carved
and fundamentally valuable in lighting the rooms of the roof--show
with good effect. A smaller house in the same town, given on page
58, has a single dormer only. It contributes the necessary interest
to what would otherwise be a very dull effort of building. On the
frieze at its base is a carved stone representation of the Nativity,
while below appears the inscription "IN BETHLEHEM 1631."
Those principles that imparted to the domestic architecture of Holland
its picturesqueness, and so gave to it its most valued possession,
were strained to the uttermost as the freshness of the Transitional
style declined. The influences bequeathed from former ages were running
out. Extreme freedom of design, although showing certain originality
and character, was not accompanied by necessary restraint. Architects
sometimes cast aside all the limitations of their art and gave
themselves up to unreasonable over-elaboration and the grotesque;
they ignored the fact--true for all time--that construction must form
the basis for ornamental detail. But it must not be thought that this
was always so. There is, however, certain work of this period that
cannot seriously be accepted as good. Brickwork and stone continued
to be employed and were still associated with excellent workmanship,
as was the carpentry. There was evidently yet, as the many dated
buildings prove, a large body of men who had complete mastery of
their particular crafts, men versed in that traditional skill which
had come down unbrokenly from mediæval days. Prominence was given to
the numerous door and window openings, which were heavily moulded and
often surmounted by pediments. Gables were shaped in endless ways and
upon them almost every conceivable combination of curves was employed.
Pilasters and cornices, swags and festoons, with strap ornament,
scrolls and ornate iron wall-ties, all generally of debased
Renaissance character, contributed to the rich profusion.
Whither events in architectural history were tending will be seen
in the following illustrations. The "Goudkantoor" at Groningen (page
60), bearing a motto and date of 1635, and a house near to it of the
year 1661 (page 61), have quaint gables, curiously shaped and laden
with carved stone decorations. On the walls below the same complex
treatment continues, especially on the "Goudkantoor," the entrance
doorway of which is emphasised by the work surrounding it. At Franeker
(page 62) is an extreme development of the step gable, with the four
steps supporting masses of coarsely-designed ornamentation. The
heavy pediments to the windows are conspicuous, as are the many
stone details. Two panels are inscribed with "ANNO 1662." With the
above-mentioned may be compared the two gables at Alkmaar (page 65)
which betray the same source of origin. Each is crowned by a stone
pediment, and the steps have carvings resting upon them. Applied
to the wall of the farthermost house, and placed centrally between
the windows of the second storey, is a notable iron wall-tie of much
larger size than was usual. An enlarged drawing of it is reproduced
on page 64. Another variation of gable outline is illustrated from
's Hertogenbosch (page 63). In this case the stone-capped sides follow
the lines of sweeping curves, and on them, facing outwardly, are little
carved bunches of fruit and flowers. The front face of this building is
remarkable for the use of pilasters. They are boldly carried up from
bases to the head of the gable. The pillars, executed in unrelieved
brickwork, have stone capitals of the Ionic order which carry an
entablature. There appears the date of MDCLXXI. The bricks are 2 inches
wide by 9 inches long and are laid about five courses to one foot.
It eventually came to pass that the gabled treatment, which had
been the guiding principle of house design for so many generations,
was given up. And with the disappearance of it there went that
which had given character to the architecture of Holland. The links
of the tradition were broken. The old sources of inspiration no
longer served. Inherited ability and skill, originality and vigour,
were being lost, and the last traces of native ideas are to be
found in inconspicuous buildings such as that given from The Hague
(page 66). Although hipped roofs, wide projecting cornices and other
Renaissance features were employed, as is shown by the drawings from
Velsen (page 67), and Zutphen (page 69), a pure Renaissance domestic
architecture did not become established. When the traditional style,
owning both Gothic and Renaissance motives, had ceased to hold its
ground, the stream of design--which until then had flowed continuously
--ebbed low, and houses became uninteresting and commonplace. Away in
the country the town architecture is mirrored in the brick buildings
of the numerous villages. Less pretentious in appearance, their style
is well suited to the simpler conditions that there obtain; for the
crowded activity of the town waterways is absent on the calm canals
that wind between meadows, and give communication from village to
village; on the quays life moves placidly. Spaarndam (page 71)
furnishes a typical village view, with its gabled brick and
white-fronted houses, screened by delicate greenery. The Ferry House,
near Gennep (page 73), has more ornate gables, curved and stepped, and
on the front is diaper brickwork.
There also developed a type of building peculiar to the countryside. It
is shown by the many farmhouses and cottages. Their outward forms
were determined by constructional principles, and added adornment was
but little employed. They are unobtrusive examples of honest work,
not claiming especial distinction, yet in thorough harmony with their
natural environment. They were brought into being by prevailing needs,
and are the local representatives of that phase of native art which
is to be found in almost every country. Such village homes exist in
all parts of Holland. The style of them shows little variation in the
different localities. They are equally suited to the windswept
Friesland landscape, the watered provinces of North and South Holland,
or the beautiful country of North Brabant, with its hedgerows and woods
and distant hills. Grouping, perchance, around old brick churches and
sheltered by trees, as at Spaarwoude (page 68), they are pleasant and
rustic to see.
Under one great thatched or tiled roof all the covered accommodation
necessary for farm life is contained. One side of the building
is occupied by living apartments, the remainder providing a huge
barn, stalls for cattle, and other conveniences for the farmer's
work. These buildings were solidly constructed on a timber basis
in the manner shown by the sectional view from Halfweg (page 70),
where centre and side aisles are divided from each other by the stout
upright timbers. Extreme durability was the keynote and the materials
were employed according to their quality. This traditional form of
building, practised for many generations, continues in use to the
present day. An illustration of the exterior of a similar homestead
to that mentioned above, and from the same village, also appears on
page 70. The great roof, hipped at each end and covered with pantiles,
will be observed. Beneath the eaves are the domestic rooms, in this
instance all upon the ground floor; often they extend to a second
storey in the roof, which is then lighted by dormers. The cottages
follow the same general constructive principles as the farms, and
have similar low walls and large roofs. A lean-to was frequently
added to give an additional room, and the main roof brought down
over it at a less steep pitch. The roof space, valuable as a store,
is in many cases reached from the exterior by a ladder. In addition
to the customary steeply-pitched roofs, those of the Mansard pattern
occur less frequently, as is exemplified by the drawing from Schooten
(page 72).
Country work does not exhibit a great variety of building
materials. Bricks, being made from the natural product and consequently
readily available, were principally used for the walls. Rather than
left in their normal state, they were often thinly coated with plaster
on the outer face, and the lower parts, for about two feet upwards
from the ground, were tarred. Houses and cottages of this description
together form a characteristic group in the country architecture of
Holland. They were built upon a traditional system which grew out of
the accumulated experience that was transmitted from generation to
generation. Customary examples are shown in the two drawings from Beek
(pages 74 and 76), and by that from Broek in Waterland (page 78). The
farmhouse from Brigdamme (page 75) is of a similar character; at the
entrance are two stone gate-piers, dated 1622. Two influences are to
be traced in the farm at Bloemendaal (page 77). The main building has
the white plastered walls and large roof--which in this case comes
forward to cover an open verandah--while the adjoining gable is of
natural coloured bricks and more in the style of town work.
Houses with wooden walls are prevalent, especially in North
Holland. Upon a low brick wall, tarred, and varying in height from
18 to 30 inches, the timber frame was erected. Boards were simply
nailed to it and the framing was commonly left exposed to view on
the exterior. The boarding was well coated with paint or tar for
protection against the weather. A roof of thatch or tiles, well
projecting at the eaves, covered the whole. There was thus provided,
by simple and economical means, a type of building well suited for
its purpose. The village of Broek has many examples of timber houses,
such as those here given on page 79; while near by, at Monnikendam,
Volendam, and on the Island of Marken, are numerous others.
An extravagant use of paint is conspicuous in the country as well as
the towns. It is renewed at frequent intervals and, in the main,
it is well applied. Shutters and doors and window frames, and
frequently the whole house front, are freely covered with it. But
the effects are not unpleasing. They give to the villages an air of
gaiety and freshness. Plain schemes of colour are wisely adhered to,
while throughout a district one general note will be followed. On the
island of Walcheren it is apple-green and white; north of Amsterdam
bluey-green and cream; while the woodwork of the house at Beek (page
81) is painted in the tones of buff that find favour in the locality
of Nijmegen.
There are many other domestic features worthy of note to be seen in
the villages of Holland; quaint appliances for wells, ingeniously
worked (page 80), or little bridges that span dividing dykes,
and connect homesteads with the highways. One from Zuiderwoude,
near the edge of the Zuider Zee, is illustrated on this page. It is
built of brick relieved by a little stonework. On the keystone of the
arch appears the date of 1799. The wooden gates above give access
to the farm and the fields. The Dutch, too, have a marked fondness
for natural beauty, as is demonstrated by the skill they display in
laying-out open spaces. All towns can show flower gardens and lawns,
or old fortifications overlooked by gaunt watch-towers, transformed
into pleasant parks. Nijmegen and Arnhem are noteworthy in this
respect. Very charming, too, are the village streets, of which that at
Brigdamme (page 18) is a typical instance. They are lined with many
trees that afford kindly shade in summer and shelter from the wind,
and gratify the eyes with traceries of green.
DIVISION II
EXTERIOR FEATURES--DOORS, WINDOWS, GABLES & ORNAMENTS
From the time when Dutch houses were built in a definite recognised
style the features were always treated with skill and care. The
many and crowded openings were accentuated. Doorways became imposing
through the enrichment that surrounded them and windows were similarly
emphasised. Panels, carvings, and ironwork decorated the walls, while
the crowning gables, crow-stepped or curved, completed the richness of
the buildings. Upon all these details, whether for a public building
or private dwelling, great labour was expended. A careful examination
of them discloses much inventive readiness and meritorious execution.
Particular prominence was given to external doorways. The manner
of their treatment varied widely. They were regarded as more than
mere ways of access and upon them the best skill of the craftsmen
was frequently concentrated. A personal note would be added by
the introduction of the owner's arms or initials, the date of the
work, or some quaint conceit of peculiar and subtle meaning. Among
the examples extant, those of the early period incline to greatest
simplicity. They were based on the current forms that were employed
in ecclesiastical and civic architecture. The openings are spacious
and are surrounded by mouldings. The arches at the heads are pointed,
trefoil, or elliptic shapes. When there are label-mouldings above
they follow the curves of the arches and support or surround the arms,
panels, or other decorations.
The doorway at Delft (page 87) is a good example of work dictated by
Gothic influences. From carved stops at each side spring the simple
mouldings that extend round the opening. It is surmounted by a label,
near the centre of which is a three-sided space, enclosed by mouldings
and filled by a winged cherub's head carved in relief, while the
label is terminated by a finial. The wooden door is noteworthy. It
is composed of six boards and upon the outer face of each are shallow
grooves running continuously from top to bottom. Projecting nailheads
arranged in vertical lines, together with other ironwork, give further
interesting ornamentation. Another doorway from the same town (page
88) is built of stone and moulded bricks. The space at the head,
contained within a trefoil arch, has carved upon it a shield--lacking
armorial bearings--supporters, and a scroll with the date of 1547. The
semi-circular arch which surrounds the trefoil is one of the series
that repeat across the building. That other early type of house,
peculiar for its windowed ground floor front constructed in wood,
such as is given from Veere on page 44, had its entrance doorway made
with three plain stout timbers, one at each side and one across the
top as a lintel. An elaboration of the simple wooden doorway occurs
at Leiden (page 89). It is crowned by mouldings, below which appears
an ogee arch shaped in wood. The parti-coloured effect of the door
itself is achieved by the application of contrasting tints of paint.
The circular arch followed the pointed although simultaneously a
modified form of the latter, of which that from Haarlem (page 89) is an
instance, continued to be used. Of circular-arched doorways there are
endless examples which were erected in a manner that became general
and customary. They were usually built in stone and bricks. Those
from Leiden (below), Flushing (page 91), and Leeuwarden (page 86)
are characteristic. The Leiden doorway of 1615, with moulded opening
and carved archstones, is doubtless the earliest of the three and most
nearly allied to the work of the preceding century. The two remaining
examples incline to later influences, particularly to be observed in
the enrichment of the jambs.
Changing taste brought a new treatment to external doorways. They
were affected by the same forces that altered the outward character
of late sixteenth and seventeenth-century houses. Renaissance detail
gradually became established and doorways of the seventeenth-century
were frankly treated in a Classic way, rich in pilasters, capitals,
friezes, pediments and mouldings, with an especial preference for an
adapted form of the Ionic order. Stone was now almost exclusively
used for this feature, unaccompanied by brick. "Delvitt's Poort"
at Woudrichem (page 85) shows a rather advanced development for
the period of 1611 to which it belongs. The whole of it is painted,
with the carved details picked out in different colours. Two doorways
illustrated here are well designed and proportioned. They are
distinguished by the elaboration that appears at their heads. Upon the
frieze immediately above the arch of the Kampen example (page 93) will
be seen the inscription and date of 1665, over which is a broken
pediment surmounted by particularly well-rendered armorial bearings
carved in stone. The frieze at Leeuwarden (page 89) is similarly
inscribed, the date in this case being 1675, while within the heavily
moulded pediment is a coat of arms. Less complicated is the doorway
from Leiden of 1655 (page 96). It is crowned by mouldings and decorated
below by festoons in relief. The above will show the fashion of the
time, tending towards correctness in design, with details carefully
thought out and well executed.
Many eighteenth-century doorways were unduly florid and may well
be described as rococo. That from Marssum in Friesland (below),
belonging to the year 1713, is of this kind. The overladen ornament and
peculiarities of design suggest the unreality of a poor stage-setting,
rather than serious architecture; while the incongruity of the work
can only be appreciated by an inspection of the original, situated as
it is among cottages in a quiet village street. Later in the century
French influence was predominant. Details, such as are noticeable in
the Arnhem doorway (page 94), were based on the Louis XV. style which
not only affected the work of the towns but permeated into the heart
of the country. The small cottage doors and doorways in villages such
as Broek have all the attributes of the then prevailing mode.
The wooden doors were much enriched either with applied ironwork,
or mouldings and panels. Metal locks, bolts, hinges and nails are
conspicuous in the early specimens. The use of ironwork on the door
from Dordrecht (page 95) is carried to an extreme degree; but, be it
noted, all the fittings have a practical purpose. It was only after
needs had been provided for that embellishment was added, discernible
in the shaping of the lock-plates and hinges and the arrangement of the
nailheads. The centre of the more recent example from Haarlem (page 95)
is occupied by a large sunk panel surrounded by mouldings, a section of
which is given. A good piece of woodcarving is that appearing on the
lintel, having for its subject a ship sailing on rough water.
Windows of houses were almost always square-headed. They appear so in
existing examples belonging to the Gothic period. The traceries and
pointed heads, usual in early civic buildings, were rarely adopted
for house windows, although arched spaces, filled with tracery, were
not uncommonly built over them. A fine series of such window-heads is
to be seen on the stone front of the "Scotch House" at Veere (page
97); there are others at Kampen and on a house in the Groenmarkt at
Dordrecht. Except in cases where the openings were small, they were
divided vertically by mullions and transversely by cross-bars. The
lower windows were closed by wooden shutters. Two examples, from
Nijmegen and Dordrecht (page 99), both of Gothic design and of
sixteenth century workmanship, are illustrated. The Dordrecht shutter
is constructed of beautifully grained pieces of oak, jointed and
pegged together.
Late Gothic windows have also pointed and elliptical arches over
the heads unenriched by decoration. They were customarily built in
brickwork, with the window spaces flush, or set back from the face
of the walling. Pointed arches ceased to be generally used after
the coming of the Renaissance. The elliptical shape, however,
continued, and the establishment of the circular arch was but a
short and natural step in development. These two forms obtained
for many succeeding years. Instances of either type are presented
in the drawing from Zwolle (page 101), and innumerable others are
shown by the illustrations in this volume. They were not given up
until displaced by classic pediments, or the overhead feature was
altogether abandoned. The gabled front at Gorinchem (page 103), built
in stone and brick, has circular arches appearing over the windows.
The enclosed spaces are richly decorated by stone carvings, and the
character of the work seems to be advanced for the period to which it
apparently belongs. Much interesting sculpture is also distributed
over the gable and walls of this building.
Windows were first glazed with leaded lights. Small squares of glass,
as at Dordrecht (page 98), or diamond panes were used. But during the
seventeenth century the employment of wooden bars became universal and
leadwork went out of fashion. The openings were divided centrally by
transoms, the lower windows receding inwards considerably more than
the upper ones.
Wooden shutters, opening outwards, were still customary. They were
occasionally large enough to cover the whole window, but usually
only the lower half was furnished with them. Seventeenth-century
shutters are not comparable, in point of carved enrichment, with
those of Gothic times; the woodwork, frequently devoid of ornament,
is fastened to the window-frames by iron strap-hinges, and fitted
with bolts and catches. They are, however, brightly painted and
are interesting in consequence, giving colour to the architectural
groups. Many harmonious schemes are to be observed; green and white;
white, green and red; yellow and black; red and black; and numerous
others. The coloured drawing from Nijmegen (opposite) shows shutters
painted in red and black; while several specimens, from North and
South Holland, are given (pages 98 to 100). The glazing of windows
was first enclosed by casements, with hinges to open and shut. After
casements came sash windows, which were substituted for the older
form. There are many shown in the illustrations. Those from Flushing
(page 105), appearing on a house dated 1625, differ somewhat from the
usual type, being surrounded by mouldings and carvings. Dormer windows
also, as has already been stated, became much-developed features during
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Three characteristic
specimens are given: two from Kampen, of the years 1626 and 1634, and
a later dormer, from Marssum, belonging to the eighteenth century, all
shown on page 102.
The distinguishing gables--so often mentioned, and intimately
associated with house development--exhibit infinite varieties of
treatment. Between the early stepped shapes, and the fantastic outlines
of later days, there is an innumerable succession. They followed the
trend of design prevalent at the time of their erection. Thus, the
two gables, from Kampen (page 104) and Dordrecht (page 107), are in
keeping with the current forms of the late Gothic period. They are
both built of stone and decorated on the face with sunk panels and
carvings. The Kampen gable has pinnacles rising from the coping of the
steps, usual features in work of the time; while the twisted finials at
Dordrecht, associated with the first quarter of the sixteenth century,
are worthy of notice.
It is impossible to consider here in detail the numerous vicissitudes
through which the development of the gable passed during the many years
that Gothic and Renaissance motives were acting together as guiding
influences. Roughly and briefly, mediæval character was observed in
respect to construction and general management of masses--evident by
the stepped and curved gables--with a marked tendency to Classic
feeling in the handling of details. Work was carried out wholly in
brick, or in brick relieved by stone. Among the large number of
different outlines that are in evidence, those based on the original
stepped form show predominantly. But the spirit of the times is
discernible in the culminating pediments, mouldings, and stone
decorations. Four typical gables, all sketched in North Holland,
are illustrated (pages 106 and 109). A good example of shaping,
achieved by the use of oppositive curves, is that from Arnhem (page
108), and the stonework of the copings extends to the strapwork
ornament.
Two gables from Leiden (page 109) are well carried out in
brickwork. How effectively window-heads and copings were handled,
yet withal in a perfectly workmanlike way, is demonstrated by the
larger drawing; the brickwork is flush and obliquely tailed into the
horizontal courses of the wall.
Long sweeping curves were much employed in the shaping of later
gables. The house opposite the bridge in the Franeker illustration
(page 113) has such a gable, and it is dated 1735. Another, from
Amsterdam (page 110), has similar characteristics. Both are enriched
with stone representations of fruit and flowers, vases and festoons,
all quite in the spirit of late seventeenth and eighteenth-century
work.
The sides of the gables of farmhouses and country cottages, straight
and unshaped, are not uncommonly protected by barge-boards. The two
timbers, running from base to apex, may have mouldings worked at the
edge of them; or the undersides are diversified by repeating curves,
with pendants appearing at the lower ends. Both methods are figured
in detail in drawings 1, 2, and 4 on page 111. Fascia-boards, applied
to overhanging stories of wooden houses, are similarly decorated;
two are exemplified in numbers 6 and 7. The wooden finials, which
are planted on the outer faces of the gables at their highest points,
are variously shaped and perforated, and the details numbered 1, 2,
3 and 5 give four examples of them.
There is an absence of interesting chimneys in Holland, for the gable
ends of the high and narrow-fronted houses, bordering the street,
obscured from view these objects of usefulness. Solely utilitarian,
therefore, they generally remained, shafts of the simplest form,
serving the purpose for which they were devised, owing nothing to
beauty or ornament and little to precedent. When hipped roofs were
employed, instead of gables, chimneys came into greater prominence. But
even then--with an absence of developed, traditional forms to give
the basis for the evolution of a settled type--they did not constitute
important decorative factors in the architectural scheme. Many stacks
have neither mouldings nor other projection at the top. Chimneys a
little more elaborate than was usual are shown by the two illustrations
from Hoorn and Zutphen (page 112). They deviate somewhat from the plain
rectangular shape, and both have moulded heads; while the Hoorn example
has a pyramidal hood covered with lead and supported by four metal
uprights.
Isolated stone ornaments are numerous. They were inserted into walls
with freedom and wheresoever caprice or fancy suggested--high up on
gables, around doorways, over windows, or distributed on what would
otherwise have been unrelieved spaces. The rich appearance of the
buildings is in no small measure due to the extravagant use of these
details. That bizarre kind of ornament, known by the name of strapwork,
and well shown in the Arnhem gable (page 108), was freely used, as
was carved work based upon Italian motives. Among the latter may be
mentioned the more or less conventional representation of human forms,
fruit and flowers, birds, fishes and beasts, with prominence given
to heads of lions, or the complete animal in the attitude sejeant,
popularly used as a gable termination.
Of a more homely and personal character are the frequently occurring
panels bearing, in well-cut figures and letters, dates, mottoes,
and inscriptions; four are exemplified by the accompanying drawings
from Zutphen (page 115) and Haarlem (pages 114 to 116). Equally
symbolic of pride of home are the carved coats-of-arms which keep
green, by visible sign, the memory of the builder and the honour of
his house. One such armorial decoration from Workum, dated 1644, is
illustrated on page 115. All these little enrichments, so constantly
seen, are more than mere examples of craftsmanship; they essentially
express the sentiments of the man who caused the stones to be laid.
Things to be observed in everyday life naturally furnished subjects
for carvings in stone. The forces of Nature, greatly influential
in Holland--that is to say, water and wind and all that resulted
therefrom--were turned to for inspiration. Decoratively treated
water, with ships, windmills, and other appliances relevant to
human convenience or suggestive of enterprise, were especially
favoured. A windmill from Sneek, high in relief and painted black,
red, gold and white, together with a ship from Haarlem appearing in
an oval panel surrounded by a scrollwork frame, are illustrated (page
115). Interesting is the wall-panel at Franeker (page 114), with a
scene from local history depicted upon it; there is much spirit shown
in the carving of the men and horses, while the water, drawbridge, and
distant houses are well managed. The house known as "Inde Steenrotse,"
situated on the Dwars Quay at Middelburg, dated 1590, is noteworthy for
its large panels in high relief. It was built by a wealthy mason. Five
of the carved subjects portray various episodes connected with the
working of stone and two are here given (page 116); others, higher
up the building, represent biblical scenes from the Book of Exodus.
The mosaic decorations are of unusual interest, for they are of a kind
more or less peculiar to this country. They were formed by inlaying
small pieces of brick and stone set together to make repeating patterns
or panels. As was customary, materials were used with just regard for
their suitable adaptability to purpose; not employed unreasonably,
or strained to accomplish that for which they were not fitted. The
units were simple and results legitimate. This ornamental work was
principally used to enrich the arched spaces over window-heads; less
frequently it appears in bands carried horizontally across the
buildings.
The houses at Woudrichem (page 117)--inscribed "Iden Salamander 1606"
and "Zuden Gulden Engel 1593"--have notable examples of mosaics in the
window-heads. Two of the patterns are shown in detail on page 118,
together with two others from a house near by. All were achieved
by manipulating little shaped pieces of brick to form devices,
especially noticeable being the starlike figures with radiating
points. Work of a similar kind appears on the house at Zwolle, dated
1609, and illustrated on page 119. An enlarged drawing of one of the
window-heads (page 118) gives the precise arrangement of the brick and
stonework. There is quite a Moorish feeling evident in this design,
with the two main portions of inlay enclosed by arch-shaped lines
curved horseshoe fashion. The horseshoe arch was essentially a product
of Morocco, and the analogy with the East is further strengthened by
the fact that mosaic was a medium extensively used by Byzantine and
Saracenic artists. These circumstances all suggest the origin of the
employment of such work in Holland.
On page 118 is represented a small section of the horizontal mosaic
band that appears over the archway at Nijmegen (page 41). Simpler
patterns were also formed with ordinary narrow bricks and mortar. Two
examples are here given, both carried out in red and yellow bricks,--a
frieze at the first storey level of a house at Workum and shaped
spaces from Franeker (page 120).
Turning to external metalwork the most characteristic objects are the
iron wall-ties. They were applied to walls to give them stability. But
the possibilities for artistic treatment which the wall-ties offered
were by no means overlooked, as is demonstrated by the many and varied
forms produced by the blacksmiths, who regarded these accessories,
before all things, as the particular field for the display of their
skill. Endless varieties are to be found, certain patterns being
local to specific districts. Upon ordinary houses--and they were
practically invariably used--they are usually no more elaborate
than might be achieved by direct work on the anvil; of honest but
unambitious appearance and shaped in simple ways, such as are shown
by the illustrations on page 121. But the wall-ties of more important
buildings are often complicated affairs; beautiful examples of design
and craftsmanship which were wrought with labour. They are rich in
scrolls and curves with foliated ornament, and one of the examples here
given (page 123) has the date of 1798 worked within it. Iron letters
and figures also decorate the fronts of many houses. Each is detached
and secured to the wall by a single stay. They are arranged to denote
dates or monograms. An example has already been seen at the base of
a gable at Middelburg (page 35); another specimen, from St. Anna,
near Nijmegen, is reproduced on page 122.
Other wrought ironwork was used for various purposes on doors and
windows, as well as to heighten the effect of certain features. A good
instance of its application is demonstrated by the key-escutcheon,
with supporting iron decorations, from Middelburg (page 123). The
workmanship is of a traditional kind, with Gothic forms recalled by
the cusps on the pierced plates. The iron door-knocker, appearing
on the same page, is an interesting example of curious design and
belongs to the sixteenth or seventeenth century. For windows, ironwork
was used in the stout stay-bars and stanchions, instances of which,
fitted to an oval opening, are furnished from Leiden (page 122).
The magnificent wrought vanes of Holland, surmounting lofty belfries
on public buildings, are justly famous and are reflected in the less
elaborate shapes that adorn the roof points or gable terminations
of business and dwelling-houses. One, from Middelburg (page 122),
is a beautiful example of an iron terminal. The crowning figure and
fleur-de-lis are gilded, while signs and symbols of the Zodiac are
worked around the outer and inner open-framed globes. Simpler vanes are
common throughout the country, attached to farmhouses or stables. That
from Broek (page 122) is shaped like a swan; one may be seen at
Veere which takes the form of a ship. The shaft of the weathercock
from Hees (page 124) is made up of iron scrolls, welded together,
and four projecting arms point to north, south, east and west.
The leadwork to be observed on domestic buildings is not of remarkable
interest. There are no wonderful decorated rain-water heads such as
may be seen elsewhere, and lead heads, when used at all, are for the
most part comparatively plain, square projections. The examples from
Zutphen, reproduced on page 122, illustrate two ordinary forms. An
interesting feature, prevalent in North Holland, is the lead finial
placed at the apex of a hipped roof. There are many examples in the
streets of Hoorn, three of which are shown on page 124. Notice should
be taken of the delicate little fretwork heads; the repoussé patterns
on the upright sides; and the iron vane which surmounts one of the
examples. These objects, although of little practical use, have a
decorative value that well justifies their existence. In all these
exterior features and details, whether executed in wood or stone,
metal or brick, there is especial evidence of the type of mind that
was concerned with their production; they pertinently give the key to
temperament and character. Such work resulted from deliberate thought
and calculation, rather than from imaginative impulse. Sometimes
it verged on dulness, yet there is always traceable a certain solid
strength and vigour. This is well seen in the stone carvings, here
illustrated, whose subjects are often lacking in originality or follow
some oft-repeated theme. They are excellently carved, however, and
attain interest in consequence. For the individuality of the masons
is reflected in the inanimate stone. They gave life to their work
and freshness to old subjects. Each man followed his own bent. Some
were a little in advance of their time, some behind it, so there are
endless variations to patterns that superficially agree. A new turn
was given to a scroll here, a different arrangement there; just small
things that served to raise work from the conventional and commonplace.
The olden craftsmen respected tradition. Forms that became established
by custom were handed down from generation to generation. Certain
ornaments continued to be used, almost unaltered, over a very long
period. Not that patterns were slavishly followed; on the contrary,
each man gave his own interpretation of what he knew had served
so well, and fashioned his work in his own way. But he remembered
something of that which had gone before. Traditions of ornamentation
were just as much founded upon accumulated experience as were the
main styles of architecture. The worker saw around him the forces of
Nature, active yet unchanging, the abiding waterways, the ancient
churches standing as they had done in times long past, and it was
in a spirit of respect for the permanence of spiritual and material
things that he pursued his craft. This was altogether good. Methods
of workmanship, the treatment of features, and types of enrichment,
were gradually evolved. They were governed by ordered principles that
slowly grew together and became established, principles that served
to check the introduction of inharmonious innovations which would
have been out of sympathy with all those forms that, as a whole,
were customary and usual.
Doorways, windows, gables and ornaments, therefore, by their
particular appearance, mark various steps in a long-continued process
of development. Period followed period. After the pointed-arched
doorways came the circular-headed; gables of simple outline in course
of time became more complex; fashions in the shaping of wall-ties
changed. But nothing happened suddenly. Craftsmen were content to
solve their own problems without any show of haste. It was by such
methods that incongruities were avoided.
The national temperament always asserted itself and each individual
as he carved his stone, laid his bricks, worked his wood, or wrought
his iron, did his small part to keep alive the inherited traditions,
and pass them on so that they should be vigorous to meet the needs
of future generations.
The ornamental features that appear on the exterior walls impart to
the buildings of Holland much of that quaintness for which they are
distinguished. Although the decorations are so plentifully applied,
they do not often appear misplaced or offend the eye. For the natural
conditions of the country have always been peculiar. The low-lying
lands and ever-present water demand a special type of architecture
which shall be in thorough sympathy with the surroundings, as well
as outwardly express the character of those people who live amongst
them. Much is possible and good in Holland which would be out of place,
or even bad, elsewhere. The many houses, appearing where they do, are
admirably conceived. Rich with ornaments, date panels, little carvings,
mosaics and ironwork--such as are shown by the illustrations in this
section--with coloured bricks fashioned in many ways, and doorways
and windows highly decorated, they cannot fail to appeal to those
who see them in their natural environment. There is a personal note
about each dwelling. They are houses that look like homes, places to
be treasured by succeeding generations. And the evidences of pride
of possession to be seen in the isolated panels carved with arms,
dates and inscriptions, or similar motives worked around doorways,
especially give to the brick and stone-built walls a home-like and
fireside quality. Students of English architecture will have observed
how homely ideas affected the appearance of the houses of Holland
just as they did those of England. Similar sentiments obtained in both
countries and indirectly brought kindred features to the buildings.
It requires but little imagination to people once again the streets
and waterways with men and women and of their lives are on every
hand. The stones they lovingly caused to be carved are there; the
heavy studded doors that yielded to their hands are still framed by
old entrance ways. The work was done that it should last and yet it
stands, solid and good. The glory of the house may have departed;
yet there still remains the material record of lives well-spent and
duties well-performed. And in this the carved monograms and dates
are full of meaning.
DIVISION III
INTERIORS AND DECORATION
There are, within the old buildings of Holland, interior effects of
rare charm. They are hidden away from the outer world behind high
gabled fronts of sober houses, beyond the thresholds of country
farms. These interiors are rich in memories of the past. They tell
of bygone times and bring vivid pictures of civic and home life to
the imagination. Solidly built, they were erected with due thought to
permanence, that they should stand from generation to generation; that
men's memories might be honoured by their children and their children's
children. That it should be continuous and abiding was the keynote
of the old work which to this day is fresh and beautiful, full of
life and vitality, although the makers of it have long since gone and
are forgotten. And while things were made to be durable, so also were
they made to please the eye and gratify the senses. Good construction,
accompanied by much enrichment, gave results tending towards extreme
elaboration. Rooms became imposing by their massive ceiling beams
supported by sculptured corbels; panelling, or maybe Spanish leather
or tapestry, upon the walls; carved oaken doors; fireplaces in wood
and stone adorned with columns, figures and other devices; coloured
tiles of many patterns; cast-iron firebacks and wrought metalwork;
panels of painted glass in the windows; floors of oak, veined marble,
or glazed quarries; brass candelabrums hanging from the ceilings,
with movable furniture and ornaments disposed in many places.
A good impression of a seventeenth-century room may be gathered from
the accompanying illustration from Dordrecht (page 128). The walls are
panelled in oak up to a certain height; above is a deep white frieze,
admirably adapted for displaying the blue-and-white ware and pictures
which rest against it. The chimney-piece is sumptuous, alternately gay
and sober, charming below the mantel with brightly-coloured tiles and
shining metal utensils, dignified above with panelling and projecting
frieze. Forming the dividing line between mantel and fireplace is
a mantel-cloth of blue material, inscribed with the homely maxim
"Oost West, Thuis Best," and bearing a brace of crossed tobacco-pipes
worked at each end of it. A good specimen of a brass candelabrum
is attached to the central ceiling beam, while the floor is covered
with matting. Solid oak furniture, massive and heavy, completes this
picture of material comfort and pleasantness. Equally characteristic
is the room at Leeuwarden (page 129). Similar features will be
observed--panelling and carved woodwork; ceiling joists and beams,
which are here supported by moulded corbels; blue-and-white ware,
tiles, and a blue velvet mantel-cloth. The hearth is of squares of
black and white marble. Upon it stands a copper fire-holder; behind
is a cast-iron fireback adorned with an armorial subject. In the
lead-glazed window are two circular panels of painted glass.
Another example of a brass candelabrum, similar to the one
above-mentioned, is shown by the drawing from Haarlem (page 127). It
is of a type that was customary. Many such still exist in old-world
rooms, suspended from high ceilings by chains or rods. Apart from
their uses for purposes of illumination, they are highly successful as
centre ornaments, for it will be seen how effectively they were made,
with curved decorated brackets branching from shaped shafts. Patterns
are various, but there are certain essentials common to all and a
general resemblance between each. Thus, a particularly beautiful
candelabrum in the Town Hall at Zwolle, with an image of the Virgin
and pierced, leaf-like brackets, is but an elaboration of the simple
familiar form. Some carry three lights only, ordinarily there are
ten or twelve; while an example noticed at Haarlem, with twenty-seven
candles, probably represents the extreme capacity of this old-fashioned
system of lighting.
Of interior features, first in importance come the fireplaces. Great
thought was given to the decoration of them, the appearance of many
being rich beyond description. Numerous kinds of materials were used
for their adornment; brick and stone, wood, marble and slate, coloured
tiles and terra-cotta, all giving value to the imposing compositions.
And although the materials were so various, they were skilfully
combined to produce harmonious results. Fireplaces were brought forward
from the walls and not set back within them. The openings were of ample
size, wide and high. The jambs, enriched with mouldings or appearing as
columns, supported massive hoods that extended upwards to the ceiling.
The fireplace at Maastricht (page 131) is a good specimen of the late
Gothic type. It belongs to the year 1510, this date being carved
on the centre scroll. Upon the sandstone jambs are worked Gothic
mouldings which spring from shaped stops resting on square bases. The
broad frieze is rich with carvings of angels, conventional flowers,
cusps, and two shields, bearing the arms of Maastricht and Liège. The
rear of the opening is lined with pressed terra-cotta tiles that
exhibit a variety of designs in low relief. Against it is set an
iron fireback ornamented with a heraldic device. The wooden figures
on the mantel-shelf are merely placed thereon and are not inherent
to the design.
Details of fireplaces changed with the passing of Gothic influences,
although the olden form was still retained. Classic columns, or
less frequently, human figures and grotesques, were substituted for
moulded jambs. They commonly supported a carved oak frieze surmounted
by a projecting cornice. Such chimney-pieces are by no means rare in
Holland and may generally be ascribed to the seventeenth century. One,
from Leeuwarden, has already been illustrated on page 129. Another
example, from Middelburg, is here given (page 133). The columns are of
white marble, but the jambs behind them, together with the bases and
corbels, are of slate and are decorated with strapwork patterns. The
oak mantel is inlaid with bands and panels of light wood. Tiles of
blue, white and yellow cover the back, and border the upright sides
of the iron hearth.
The chimney-piece at Amsterdam (page 130) is of an unusual pattern. It
is situated in the room of the Bricklayers' Guild and is of early
seventeenth-century workmanship. The opening is framed of stone. Over
the mantel-shelf is a curved pediment with the arms of Amsterdam
carved upon it. Fitted to the chimney-breast above is a small oval
painted panel enclosed by brickwork.
The fireplace from the Westerwold (page 135), now at Groningen, belongs
to a later period than the preceding example. A wooden chimney-shelf
and pilasters, almost black in colour, support the tapering hood. The
back of the fireplace is faced with blue-and-white tiles and red
bricks. A protecting fireback rests against it, while a hanger,
hooked within the opening, holds the metal pot over the fire. The
effect of this fireplace and its accessories, admirably decorative in
themselves, is further enhanced by the pure white surrounding walls,
and by the parti-coloured floor laid with red and yellow quarries.
Cast-iron firebacks have been noticed in the previous illustrations.
They were generally used where fires burned on open hearths. The
castings are rather light and thin, and were taken from wooden models.
They are ornamented with floral and heraldic subjects, or designs
suggested by classical myths and bible stories. Of the four examples
illustrated on pages 132 and 134, two have armorial bearings,
surrounded by rich borders, cast upon them. The one from Leiden is
dated 1609, and the other, from Nijmegen, 1650. Both of the remaining
specimens from Jisp and Middelburg, are decorated with figure subjects,
bordered by fruit and scrolls and flowers. All the work is in rather
low relief.
Fuel, in the form of peat or charcoal, was responsible for certain
utensils in which it could be conveniently burned. One such is given on
page 139. It is an iron fire-standard suited for holding peat, and was
drawn in the Museum at Dordrecht. The lines of the design are good,
especially to be observed in the engaged scrolls and shaping of the
top. It is, withal, serviceably made. Small boxes containing fire,
placed upon the floor in front of chairs, served as foot-warmers
(page 148). They are of square or oval shape. The sides are frequently
patterned and the lids perforated. Fires were also contained in iron
pots which stood upon oak stools within the fireplaces; or they burned
in little iron hearths, which were set towards the centre of the rooms,
with no provision made for carrying away the smoke. The former system
is exemplified by the drawing from Leeuwarden (page 137), and the
latter by an illustration from a cottage at Marken (page 136).
A small crane is often seen attached to the back of the fireplace. A
kettle or pot rests upon it, which might, if desired, be swung over or
away from the fire. The specimen here reproduced (page 136) is from
Leeuwarden. It has one simple movement, that of swinging backwards
and forwards. The curved arm is made of brass, and shaped to resemble
a fish. Out of the mouth comes the iron kettle-holder with a small
chain affixed, handy for drawing it to and fro. Allied to the crane,
and used for a similar purpose, is the hanger that was suspended from
the flue. The two specimens appearing on page 139 are from Middelburg,
and both are constructed of iron. They can be made to hang high or
low, one by means of a ratchet, and the other by a catch, which fits
into pierced holes and is shown in detail.
The set of fire-irons, also from Middelburg (page 139), furnishes
admirable examples of useful objects, suitably adorned. The plate
to which the fire-irons hang, with scallop-like indentations at its
upper edge, is enriched with incised decoration, depicting a ship,
trees, birds, letters, and the date of 1787. The tongs at the extreme
left are so fashioned that one arm, being hollow, may be used as a
blowpipe. Next in order is a ladle adapted for scooping up ashes from
the hearth. Upon the flat handle is further incised ornamentation,
based upon floral motives. The central object is a blowpipe, and a
second pair of tongs completes the set. With the exception of some
of the ends and terminations, which are of brass, these implements
are made of iron, brightly polished.
In the glazed tiles, inseparably associated with Delft and other
places in Holland, the Dutch had admirable material for interior
decoration. Some tiles were pure white; others had conventional floral
forms painted upon them. Many, again, were decorated with devices
derived from scriptural, nautical, rural, historical, and classical
sources. Units such as these, beautiful in themselves, were capable
of giving lively and gay effects when arranged together. How
satisfactorily they were used will have been already observed
in the fireplaces previously described.
But, apart from giving value to fireplaces, they were employed
in other ways. Notable rooms are to be seen whose good appearance
depends primarily upon the skilful manipulation of tiles. Two such are
illustrated, one in colour (opposite). They are from Hindeloopen, and
are now in the Frisian Museum at Leeuwarden. The original woodwork of
the coloured drawing belongs to the seventeenth century. The back of
the fireplace, as well as the walls surrounding it, is faced entirely
with tiles from floor to ceiling. Those towards the floor have blue and
white patterns upon them; above, and in the window recess, they are
white but for the narrow blue borders round the angles. These tiles
were made at Makkum. Upon the floor are glazed quarries of red and
black, laid in alternate colours. The room of the other illustration
(page 137) dates from the eighteenth century. It has similar tiles
on the walls and quarries on the floor. Floors were also laid with
other coloured quarries, blue and green and yellow; while in larger
houses stone and marble were employed with pleasing results.
Panelling was by no means infrequently applied to interior walls. It
was often marked by elaboration rather than simplicity, although
there are not wanting examples of rooms wainscoted with plain framed
woodwork divided into panels by stiles and rails. Of ornamental panels
there are certain definite kinds. Characteristic are those adorned
with linen-fold patterns. Another design that was favoured is shown
in the illustration taken from Zwolle (page 138), where carved vine
ornaments appear between two curved and moulded scrolls set back to
back. This particular example is attributed to the beginning of the
sixteenth century. At a later date round-headed arches and pilasters
were introduced, such as those exemplified from Leiden on this page,
as well as carved friezes and moulded cornices. It is remarkable
to note the great similarity between the development of panelling
in Holland and in England. The earlier patterns employed in both
countries are practically identical, while Dutch seventeenth-century
woodwork bears great resemblance to that of our Jacobean period.
Wooden doors harmonised with the wainscot of the walls. They were
divided into panels and often richly carved. Doorways were given
importance by the pilasters and cornices that surrounded them. The
door from Groningen (below) furnishes a seventeenth-century specimen,
elaborately carved with forms peculiar to the time.
The metal fittings attached to doors--locks, bolts, hinges, handles,
and the like--are of good design and workmanship. Two lock-plates
(page 143), from the Rijks Museum at Amsterdam, belong to the sixteenth
century. They are both made of iron. One, bearing the date of 1587,
is decorated with projecting ornaments; the other is adorned with
applied metalwork, pierced and carved. Further examples of iron
door-furniture, simply but effectively treated, are illustrated by
the handle from Middelburg and the bolt from Dordrecht (page 143).
A feature common to Dutch rooms is the small cupboard in the wall,
wherein many and sundry articles were stored. The recess is sometimes
merely covered by a curtain that may be drawn to and fro, such as can
be seen at the left hand of the window in the coloured reproduction
from Leeuwarden given here. But generally a wooden door was fitted to
the opening. Some of these doors, with one or two panels, are quite
plainly made. Others, highly decorated with carvings and metalwork,
furnish examples of beautiful craftsmanship. Two are here illustrated
(pages 143 and 144), which show how well and cunningly artificers in
wood and metal exercised their skill. Both are of sixteenth-century
workmanship, and are now in the Rijks Museum. Apart from the good
wood-carving, the ironwork on each is notable. The three hinges,
attached to the larger door, all have peculiarly graceful branched
terminations; while the hinge of the second example is pierced and
engraved with a floral pattern. The lock-plates, also, are admirably
devised.
The further illustration of a Hindeloopen room from Leeuwarden (page
141) is especially interesting, for around the walls are cupboard-like
apartments that afforded accommodation for sleeping. They are closed by
wooden doors which have open-work panels at their heads to permit the
passage of air. The beds, resembling a ship's berths, are reached by
flights of steps, two of which will be seen in the reproduction. These
steps are movable and curiously shaped and painted, as is demonstrated
by the flight in the foreground with its side boards made to imitate
birds and flowers. Other old Dutch interiors--cheerful with coloured
plates, tiles and quarries, shining brass and carved woodwork--furnish
instances of this particular disposition of sleeping accommodation.
The old furniture was of a kind that well harmonised with the fitted
woodwork and other decorations of the rooms. It is not unusual to find
pieces of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries amid surroundings
similar to those for which they were originally intended. The rooms
at Dordrecht (page 128) and Groningen (page 135) both have suitable
furniture that valuably contributes to the success of the schemes. All
is more or less directly useful; rooms were not crowded with objects
that were neither utilitarian nor good to look upon. Most commonly
occurring are chairs and tables, chests and cabinets. The earlier
oak work was jointed and pegged together. It was very solidly made
and ornamented in a reasonable way. Some of the large cabinets offer
splendid examples of skilful handiwork, and an elaborate specimen,
from Haarlem, appears on page 145. Two characteristic tables are
also illustrated, one from Edam (page 145) and one from Amsterdam
(page 146). In the eighteenth century it became the fashion in certain
parts of Holland to heavily paint fitted and movable furniture with
coloured patterns, the natural beauty of the wood being thus obscured.
All kinds of objects were ornamented, and in a somewhat amateurish way.
The favoured motifs were floral scrolls, little flowers, birds and
animals, scriptural scenes, with pastoral and sea views.
Brass was much used in the making of domestic utensils. Familiar
objects for many purposes were fashioned of this material. Brightly
polished and shining, they were quite in accord with the prevailing
gayness of the rooms and well harmonised with the fitted woodwork,
furniture, tiles and other metalwork. Fireplaces were adorned with
sundry articles of brass, some being purely ornamental, others
achieving some useful mission. The brass chimney-crane (page 136)
belongs to this latter class, as does the fire-side set reproduced on
page 147. The latter is a particularly handy contrivance, for, being
movable, it can be transferred from room to room. The stand takes the
form of a baluster stem which rests upon an ornamental basic tripod; it
is surmounted by a circular attachment that supports the kettle. Upon
three curved arms, branching outwardly, the brush and tongs and shovel
are hooked. This set is of eighteenth-century workmanship. The stand
is 1 foot 11-1/2 inches high, the tongs 23 inches long, the brush 21
inches long, and the shovel 23 inches long. An example of the portable
foot-warmers for placing on the floor in front of chairs, such as have
been already mentioned, is here illustrated (page 148). It is made of
brass and has eight sides. Each upright side decorated with repoussé
work, circular bosses alternating with panels of flowers. The slightly
curved top has a medallion in the centre, engraved with the letters
and date "i. w. hm. 1733." It is surrounded with floral scrolls,
geometrically arranged, and between the patterns are pierced holes
through which the heat is distributed.
The candlestick (page 148), also of brass, belongs to the eighteenth
century. It has two curved brackets which are adjustable, as will
be seen by the hinged attachments in the illustration. The height
is 18-1/4 inches and the width, from bracket to bracket, is 12-1/8
inches. Another old-fashioned object used for lighting is the brass
lantern with arched top (page 148). All the three windows are
surrounded by a border of floral openwork, very finely pierced with
a pattern common to the eighteenth century. The fourth side, forming
the back, has a panel in the centre.
The cover of the warming-pan, given on page 147, furnishes an excellent
specimen of perforated and engraved brasswork. The central figures
represent Venus and Cupid, while interwoven with the strap and foliated
ornaments are grotesque figures, beasts and birds. Each little part
of the design is engraved, and around the outer margin of the pan
is a Dutch inscription which embodies the date of 1602. Further
well-executed piercing and engraving, but of a later date than the
above, appear on the tea-caddy here illustrated (page 148). This
latter object is 6 inches high and 4 inches wide. The pastille-burner
(page 148) is made wholly of brass. Upon the baluster stem and circular
base are rococo designs beaten-up in relief. Made of wickerwork, the
coffer reproduced on page 147 is adorned with handsomely shaped and
perforated brass mounts that extend around it.
The corridor at Hoorn (page 149) belongs to the seventeenth century. It
has a timber roof springing from the two side-walls in the form of a
barrel-vault. Upon the concave surface are longitudinal and transverse
ribs whose intersections are emphasised by carved bosses. The vault is
supported at each side by decorated wooden brackets. Another detail
associated with a place of access is the wrought-iron railing from
Zierikzee (page 146).
And lastly, three typical village interiors are given. Two, from
Volendam (above) and Marken (page 151), have simple fireplaces faced
with ordinary blue and white Dutch tiles. Another shows a room in
a wooden house at Marken (page 152), the timbering of the walls
being visible.
But it is the old towns of Holland, rather than the villages, that
hold the charms for those who sojourn in that fascinating country;
towns rich in associations that unbrokenly date back to a buried and
untraceable antiquity. In them history has been made. There stand
the old and sober gabled buildings, silent monuments to the thoughts,
ideals and ambitions of those who built them. And, clustering around
the market-places where life yet centres as it did in days gone by,
or reflected in still waters, the houses keep their secrets well.
Sydney R. Jones.
NOTE
[1] "Biographical Sketches of Dutch Architects."--MSS. by
J. B. Weenink.
End of Project Gutenberg's Old Houses in Holland, by Sydney R. Jones
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