![Thomas de Keyser - Portrait of Hendrick de Keyser NK1420](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Thomas_de_Keyser_-_Portrait_of_Hendrick_de_Keyser_NK1420.jpg)
Hendrick de Keyser (15 May 1565 – 15 May 1621) was a Dutch sculptor, merchant in Belgium bluestone, and architect who was instrumental in establishing a late Renaissance form of
Mannerism
Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, ...
changing into Baroque. Most of his works appeared in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
, some elsewhere in the
Dutch Republic
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...
. He was the father of
Pieter
Pieter is a male given name, the Dutch form of Peter. The name has been one of the most common names in the Netherlands for centuries, but since the mid-twentieth century its popularity has dropped steadily, from almost 3000 per year in 1947 ...
and
Thomas de Keyser
Thomas de Keyser (c. 1596–1667) was a Dutch portrait painter, a dealer in Belgium bluestone and stone mason. He was the most in-demand portrait painter in the Netherlands until the 1630s, when Rembrandt eclipsed him in popularity. Rembrand ...
and
Willem
Willem () is a Dutch and West FrisianRienk de Haan, ''Fryske Foarnammen'', Leeuwarden, 2002 (Friese Pers Boekerij), , p. 158. masculine given name. The name is Germanic, and can be seen as the Dutch equivalent of the name William in English, Gui ...
, and the uncle of Huybert de Keyser, who became his apprentices and all involved in building, decoration and architecture.
Biography and works
![Part from Westertoren, gravure in Architectura Moderna - Amsterdam - 20013240 - RCE](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Part_from_Westertoren%2C_gravure_in_Architectura_Moderna_-_Amsterdam_-_20013240_-_RCE.jpg)
Hendrick de Keyser was born in
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
, and the son of a cabinetmaker. He grew up in an expropriated monastery, the Catalijne Convent. As a young man he was apprenticed to the engineer
Cornelis Bloemaert
Cornelis Bloemaert II (1603 – 28 September 1692), was a Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver.
Biography
Bloemaert was born at Utrecht. He studied with his father, Abraham Bloemaert, his brothers Hendrick and Adriaan, and his father's pupi ...
(the elder). In 1591 he followed Bloemaert to Amsterdam and married Beyken van Wildre from Antwerp. Soon he set to work as an independent artist. In 1595 he was appointed city stonemason and sculptor. In 1603 the working on the
Zuiderkerk
The Zuiderkerk (, "southern church") is a 17th-century Protestant church in the Nieuwmarkt area of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The church played an important part in the life of Rembrandt and was the subject of a painting by Cla ...
stopped but they resumed construction in 1606, when they agreed with the church board. Meanwhile, he visited London, together with
Cornelis Danckerts de Ry to study the
Royal Exchange, London
The Royal Exchange in London was founded in the 16th century by the merchant Sir Thomas Gresham on the suggestion of his factor Richard Clough to act as a centre of commerce for the City of London. The site was provided by the City of London Cor ...
. There he contracted
Nicholas Stone
Nicholas Stone (1586/87 – 24 August 1647) was an English sculptor and architect. In 1619 he was appointed master-mason to James I, and in 1626 to Charles I.
During his career he was the mason responsible for not only the building of ...
? Perhaps they met with
Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones (; 15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was the first significant architect in England and Wales in the early modern period, and the first to employ Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmetry in his buildings.
As the most notable archit ...
, but he does not appear to have turned seriously to architecture until after his
Italian tour of 1614.
In 1608 De Keyser sold
petit Granit Petit Granit (also known by a variety of names including: Nero Belga, Granit de Flandre, Pierre Bleue, Blue Stone, Belgian Granite, Belgian Blue Limestone, Arduin) is, despite its name, a grey-bluish limestone, rather than being a true Granite. It i ...
which was used for the
weigh house
A weighhouse or weighing house is a public building at or within which goods are weighed. Most of these buildings were built before 1800, prior to the establishment of international standards for weights, and were often a large and representative ...
in Hoorn; he also designed the
dormers
A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window.
Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable spac ...
on the rooftop. From 1609 De Keyser lived at the corner of
Groenburgwal
The Groenburgwal () is a canal in Amsterdam that connects the Raamgracht with the Amstel.
The Groenburgwal is parallel to the Kloveniersburgwal and the Zwanenburgwal, in the shadow of the tower of the Zuiderkerk.
History
The area between the K ...
, near Amstel. De Keyser was visited by
Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger
Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger (24 June 1587 – 6 August 1639) was a Flemish-Danish architect who specialised in the Dutch Renaissance style, typical of prestigious Danish buildings from the first half of the 17th century. Along with his br ...
and his brother
Lorenz
Lorenz is an originally German name derived from the Roman surname Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum".
Given name
People with the given name Lorenz include:
* Prince Lorenz of Belgium (born 1955), member of the Belgian royal family by h ...
from Denmark who may have asked him for advise or training. Quite a few of his siblings lived in the area. His brothers Jacob who was a cabinetmaker, and Aert a timber merchant, and Huybert his nephew all lived near
Jodenbreestraat
The Jodenbreestraat ("Jewish Broad Street") is a street in the centre of Amsterdam, which connects the Sint Antoniesluis sluice gates to the Mr. Visserplein traffic circle. North of the sluice gates, the street continues on to Nieuwmarkt square ...
in a sidestreet. (In 1639 the heirs sold the house to the sephardic community.) De Keyser was friendly with the painter
Cornelis Ketel
Cornelis is a Dutch form of the male given name Cornelius. Some common shortened versions of Cornelis in Dutch are Cees, Cor, Corné, Corneel, Crelis, Kees, Neel and Nelis.
Cornelis (Kees) and Johannes (Jan) used to be the most common given na ...
, whom he visited when Ketel made his will; both were
Arminian
Arminianism is a branch of Protestantism based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609) and his historic supporters known as Remonstrants. Dutch Arminianism was originally articulated in the ''Re ...
or
Remonstrant
The Remonstrants (or the Remonstrant Brotherhood) is a Protestant movement that had split from the Dutch Reformed Church in the early 17th century. The early Remonstrants supported Jacobus Arminius, and after his death, continued to maintain his ...
. De Keyser's relations with Ketel are illustrated by the portraits Ketel painted of the architect.
Hendrick is famous for a number of important buildings, gates and towers which belong to the core of Dutch historic sites. Today the
Zuiderkerk
The Zuiderkerk (, "southern church") is a 17th-century Protestant church in the Nieuwmarkt area of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The church played an important part in the life of Rembrandt and was the subject of a painting by Cla ...
(1603/6-1611) and accompanying tower (1614), the
City Hall (Delft)
The City Hall in Delft is a Renaissance style building on the Markt across from the Nieuwe Kerk. It is the seat of the city's government as well as a popular venue for civic wedding ceremonies. Most administrative functions have been transferred ...
(1618-1620), the
Westerkerk
The Westerkerk (; en, Western Church) is a Reformed church within Dutch Protestant Calvinism in central Amsterdam, Netherlands. It lies in the most western part of the Grachtengordel neighborhood ( Centrum borough), next to the Jordaan, betwe ...
(1620-1631) are among the historic buildings which provide important insights into De Keyser's work. He cooperated with Hendrick Jacobsz. Staets en Cornelis Danckertsz.
His
Commodity Exchange
The New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) is a commodity futures exchange owned and operated by CME Group of Chicago. NYMEX is located at One North End Avenue in Brookfield Place in the Battery Park City section of Manhattan, New York City.
T ...
of 1608-1613 was pulled down in the 19th century. The
East India House
East India House was the London headquarters of the East India Company, from which much of British India was governed until the British government took control of the Company's possessions in India in 1858. It was located in Leadenhall Street ...
in Amsterdam was most likely also designed by him; later extensions were done by his sons. In the year 1616 he renovated the
Bank van Lening {{unreferenced, date=June 2021
A Bank van Lening is a Dutch term for an early type of bank that functioned similarly to a Mount of Piety (Dutch: Berg van Barmhartigheid). It was usually called the " lommerd".
Examples were:
*Stadsbank van Lening, ...
. The renovation of the
Waag
A weighhouse or weighing house is a public building at or within which goods are weighed. Most of these buildings were built before 1800, prior to the establishment of international standards for weights, and were often a large and representative ...
took place in 1617 according to his design; in 1619 the
Munttoren
The Munttoren (; "Mint Tower") or Munt is a tower in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It stands on the busy Muntplein (Amsterdam), Muntplein square, where the Amstel river and the Singel (Amsterdam), Singel canal meet, near the flower market and the easter ...
was prepared for adding a clock.
Hendrick de Keyser's projects in Amsterdam during the early decades of the 17th century helped establish a late
Mannerist
Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, ...
style referred to as "Amsterdam Renaissance". He could be influenced by
Paul Vredeman de Vries
Paul Vredeman de Vries ( Antwerp, 1567 – Amsterdam, 1617), was a Flemish painter and draughtsman who specialised in architectural paintings and, in particular, church interiors.
Life
He was a son of the Dutch-born architect, painter and engin ...
. The Amsterdam Renaissance style deviates in many respects from sixteenth-century
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...
architecture. Classical elements such as
pilasters
In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wall ...
,
cornices
In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...
and
pediment
Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape.
Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds.
A pedimen ...
s were used on a large scale, but mainly as decorative elements. De Keyser never slavishly followed the tenets of classical architecture as laid down in the Italian treatises by
Serlio
Sebastiano Serlio (6 September 1475 – c. 1554) was an Italian Mannerist architect, who was part of the Italian team building the Palace of Fontainebleau. Serlio helped canonize the classical orders of architecture in his influential treat ...
and
Palladio
Andrea Palladio ( ; ; 30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580) was an Italian Renaissance architect active in the Venetian Republic. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily Vitruvius, is widely considered to be one of th ...
. His version came to full bloom at the end of the second decade of the 17th century, and set the stage for the later
Dutch classical phase of
Jacob van Campen
Jacob van Campen (2 February 1596 - 13 September 1657) was a Dutch artist and architect of the Dutch Golden Age, Golden Age.
Life
He was born into a wealthy family at Haarlem, and spent his youth in his home town. Being of noble birth and wit ...
and
Pieter Post
Pieter Post in 1651. Portrait by Pieter Nolpe, detail of a larger work
Pieter Jansz Post (1 May 1608 – buried 8 May 1669) was a Dutch Golden Age architect, painter and printmaker.
Biography
Post was baptised in Haarlem, the son of a ...
.
Apart from pursuing a career as an architect, De Keyser remained active as a sculptor. He designed the tomb of
William the Silent
William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...
for the
Nieuwe Kerk (Delft)
The Nieuwe Kerk (; en, New Church) is a Protestant church in the city of Delft in the Netherlands. The building is located on Delft Market Square (Markt), opposite to the City Hall (Dutch: ''Stadhuis''). In 1584, William the Silent was entombed ...
(1614-1623). However, De Keyser did not live to see the finished product. His son Pieter, who inherited his tools and designs, completed his work. In 1631
Salomon de Bray
Salomon de Bray (1597 – 11 May 1664) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and architect.
Biography
De Bray was born in Amsterdam, but established himself in Haarlem before 1617, where he is registered as being a member of the schutterij that y ...
included the architect's most important sketches, based on mathematical regularity, in his book ’Architectura Moderna’.
Architectura moderna ofte bouwinge van onsen tyt (1971)–Salomon de Bray. DBNL
/ref>
De Keyser's career was not limited to Amsterdam, and his international contacts helped him to keep in touch with the mainstream of European architecture. In 1607 the Amsterdam city magistrates sent him to England; it is believed he worked with Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones (; 15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was the first significant architect in England and Wales in the early modern period, and the first to employ Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmetry in his buildings.
As the most notable archit ...
? When De Keyser and Danckerts returned to Amsterdam Nicholas Stone
Nicholas Stone (1586/87 – 24 August 1647) was an English sculptor and architect. In 1619 he was appointed master-mason to James I, and in 1626 to Charles I.
During his career he was the mason responsible for not only the building of ...
, joined them. For several years Stone worked with De Keyser and even became his son-in-law in 1613. His grandson Henry Stone (painter) studied with Thomas de Keyser. De Keyser died on his birthday and was buried in the nearby Zuiderkerk
The Zuiderkerk (, "southern church") is a 17th-century Protestant church in the Nieuwmarkt area of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The church played an important part in the life of Rembrandt and was the subject of a painting by Cla ...
.
List of works
* 1603: ''Rasphuis
The Rasphuis was a "tuchthuis" or prison in Amsterdam that was established in 1596 in the former Convent of the Poor Clares on the Heiligeweg. In 1815 it was closed, and in 1892 the building was demolished to make way for a swimming pool. On ...
poortje'', Amsterdam. The decoration on the top is not by HdK and dates from 1663.
* 1606: ''Oost-Indisch Huis
The Oost-Indisch Huis (Dutch for "East India House") is an early 17th-century building in the centre of Amsterdam. It was the headquarters of the Amsterdam chamber of the Dutch East India Company (''Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie'' or VOC) ...
'', Amsterdam. The attribution to HdK is uncertain.
* 1606: ''Montelbaanstoren The Montelbaanstoren is a tower on bank of the Oudeschans – a canal in Amsterdam. The original tower was built in 1516 as part of the Walls of Amsterdam for the purpose of defending the city and the harbour. The top half, designed by Hendrick de ...
'', Amsterdam.
* 1606-1611: ''Zuiderkerk
The Zuiderkerk (, "southern church") is a 17th-century Protestant church in the Nieuwmarkt area of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The church played an important part in the life of Rembrandt and was the subject of a painting by Cla ...
'', Amsterdam.
* 1608-1613: ''Beurs van Hendrick de Keyser, Rokin,'' Amsterdam (enlarged around 1660, demolished in 1835).
* 1614-1623: ''Praalgraf Willem van Oranje'', Delft (completed by Pieter de Keyser).
* 1615-1618: ''Haarlemmerpoort'', Amsterdam; built with petit Granit Petit Granit (also known by a variety of names including: Nero Belga, Granit de Flandre, Pierre Bleue, Blue Stone, Belgian Granite, Belgian Blue Limestone, Arduin) is, despite its name, a grey-bluish limestone, rather than being a true Granite. It i ...
, demolished in 1838.
* 1618-1620: '' Stadhuis'', Delft.
* 1620-1623: ''Noorderkerk
The Noorderkerk ("northern church") is a 17th-century Protestant church in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. A number of other towns in the Netherlands also have a Noorderkerk church, including The Hague, Hoorn and Kampen. History
The church was built i ...
'', Amsterdam, together with city mason Cornelis Danckertsz.
* 1620-1631: ''Westerkerk
The Westerkerk (; en, Western Church) is a Reformed church within Dutch Protestant Calvinism in central Amsterdam, Netherlands. It lies in the most western part of the Grachtengordel neighborhood ( Centrum borough), next to the Jordaan, betwe ...
'', Amsterdam, (completed by Pieter de Keyser).
* 1622: Statue of Erasmus, Rotterdam (completed by Pieter de Keyser).
Works attributed to Hendrick de Keyser:
* ''Jan Roodenpoortstoren'', Amsterdam. 1616, pulled down 1829.
* ''Haringpakkerstoren'', Amsterdam. 1607, pulled down 1829.
* ''Huis Bartolotti'', Herengracht
The Herengracht () is the second of four Amsterdam canals belonging to the canal belt and lies between the Singel and the Keizersgracht.
The Gouden Bocht (Golden Bend) in particular is known for its large and beautiful canal houses.
History
Th ...
170–172, Amsterdam. Ca. 1617. Attribution to HdK is uncertain.
* ''Huis met de Hoofden'', Keizersgracht
The Keizersgracht (; "Emperor's canal") is a canal in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is the second of the three main Amsterdam canals that together form the Grachtengordel, or canal belt, and lies between the inner Herengracht and outer Prinsengr ...
123, Amsterdam. Designed by Huybert or Pieter de Keyser (1622).
Gallery
File:Jonas Suyderhoff after Thomas de Keyser, Hendrick de Keyser, NGA 10584.jpg, Hendrick de Keyser by Jonas Suyderhoff after Thomas de Keyser
File:Exterieur TORENSPITS - Amsterdam - 20260350 - RCE.jpg, Top of the Montelbaanstoren The Montelbaanstoren is a tower on bank of the Oudeschans – a canal in Amsterdam. The original tower was built in 1516 as part of the Walls of Amsterdam for the purpose of defending the city and the harbour. The top half, designed by Hendrick de ...
(1606)
File:Gravure van het Oost Indisch Huis (17e eeuw).jpg, Oost-Indisch Huis
The Oost-Indisch Huis (Dutch for "East India House") is an early 17th-century building in the centre of Amsterdam. It was the headquarters of the Amsterdam chamber of the Dutch East India Company (''Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie'' or VOC) ...
in the court yard is attributed to HdK (1606)
File:Entrance Zuiderkerk from 1607 by Hendrick de Keyser.jpg, Entrance Zuiderkerk in Zanddwarsstraat (1607) by HdK
File:Exterieur - Hoorn - 20115648 - RCE.jpg, Weigh house in Hoorn built with Belgian Fossil (1609)
File:Fouquet,_Pierre_(1729-1800),_Afb_010094003580.jpg, Exchange by Hendrick de Keyser (1613)
File:Gerrit Lamberts 006.jpg, Beurspoortje by HdK, drawing by Gerrit Lamberts
Gerrit Lamberts (1776–1850) was a Dutch painter and curator of the Rijksmuseum when it was located in the Trippenhuis.
Lamberts was born in Amsterdam. He started out as a merchant selling paper and later became a watercolorist, draughtsman and ...
File:Zkerk1.jpg, Zuiderkerk
The Zuiderkerk (, "southern church") is a 17th-century Protestant church in the Nieuwmarkt area of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The church played an important part in the life of Rembrandt and was the subject of a painting by Cla ...
(1614)
File:Ontwerp van een gevel van Hendrick de Keyser - Amsterdam - 20408667 - RCE.jpg, Singel 142 (left) and Oudezijds Voorburgwal 57, both designed by HdK (1615?)
File:Entrance bank van lening (1616) by Hendrick de Keyser.jpg, Playful entrance Bank van Lening (1616)
File:Stadsarchief Amsterdam, Afb ANWP00002000005.jpg, Entrance of the weigh house
A weighhouse or weighing house is a public building at or within which goods are weighed. Most of these buildings were built before 1800, prior to the establishment of international standards for weights, and were often a large and representative ...
(1617)
File:Ontwerp_door_H.de_Keyser_-_Amsterdam_-_20011039_-_RCE.jpg, Design of Haarlemmerpoort
File:Zicht door stadspoort buitenzijde - Deventer - 20326950 - RCE.jpg, Bergpoort in Deventer (1619)
File:Gezicht op de Munttoren te Amsterdam Reguliers Toren Gezicht van de Reguliers- of Munts-Tooren, van de Cingel te zien, gebouwd Ao. 1619. (titel op object), RP-P-AO-27-30.jpg, Munttoren
The Munttoren (; "Mint Tower") or Munt is a tower in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It stands on the busy Muntplein (Amsterdam), Muntplein square, where the Amstel river and the Singel (Amsterdam), Singel canal meet, near the flower market and the easter ...
(1619)
File:Stadhuis Delft - Hendrick de Keyser - 11901 - RCE.jpg, Design of the City hall in Delft
File:Nokerk2.jpg, Noorderkerk
The Noorderkerk ("northern church") is a 17th-century Protestant church in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. A number of other towns in the Netherlands also have a Noorderkerk church, including The Hague, Hoorn and Kampen. History
The church was built i ...
File:Rotterdam_standbeeld_Erasmus.jpg, Statue of Erasmus in Rotterdam
References
External links
Hendrick de Keyser at Archimon
Vermeer and The Delft School
a full text exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which contains material on Hendrick de Keyser
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keyser, Hendrick de
1565 births
1621 deaths
Dutch sculptors
Dutch architects
Dutch ecclesiastical architects
Dutch Golden Age sculptors
Dutch Golden Age architects
Artists from Utrecht
16th-century Dutch architects
17th-century Dutch architects