Lieven de Key (1560 – 17 July 1627) was a Dutch

renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

architect in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, mostly known today for his works in

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

. His style is described by

Simon Schama Sir Simon Michael Schama (; born 13 February 1945) is an English historian specialising in art history, Dutch history, Jewish history, and French history. He is a University Professor of History and Art History at Columbia University. He fi ...

as Mannerist.

Biography

Koningstraat bij Grote Markt - deel Vergulde Druif

De Key was born in

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...

, and was already a well-known architect when the Haarlem council invited him to become city architect in 1592 to succeed Wouter den Abt. He brought to Haarlem the same Dutch renaissance style that Hendrick de Keyser brought to Amsterdam. Everything attributed to him or his followers, whether a building, a doorway, or merely a gable stone, is considered a

rijksmonument A rijksmonument (, ) is a national heritage site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. At the end of February 2015, the Netherlands ...

today. The reason so many buildings in Haarlem can be attributed to him is because Haarlem had suffered a severe fire in 1576 that destroyed a third of the city, and plans were underway for large city projects when he was appointed city architect. Before working in Haarlem and Leiden, De Key had worked in London from 1580–1591.Lieven de Key
in the RKD He died in Haarlem, aged about 77. In more recent times, many streetnames, buildings and e.g. one of the largest housing companies in Amsterdam, have been named after him.

Buildings designed

* Front facade of the city hall of LeidenSee the

Rijksmonument A rijksmonument (, ) is a national heritage site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. At the end of February 2015, the Netherlands ...

report for this building * The

Vleeshal The Vleeshal is a historical building dating from 1603 on the Grote Markt in Haarlem, the Netherlands. History ''Vleeshal'' means meat-hall; it was the only place in Haarlem where fresh meat was allowed to be sold from 1604 to the 18th century. ...

in Haarlem, 1602–1603 * The gymnasium in Leiden * The tower of the St. Anna church in Haarlem, which still exists, though the rest of the church was demolished and rebuilt by Jacob van Campen * 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 ...

in Haarlem, 1595 * North wing of the city hall of Haarlem, 1620 * The stone entranceway to the Proveniershuis in Haarlem, 1592 * The facade of the main hall of the

Frans Hals Museum The Frans Hals Museum is a museum located in Haarlem, the Netherlands. The museum was established in 1862. In 1950, the museum was split in two locations when the collection of modern art was moved to the '' Museum De Hallen'' (since 2018 called ...

, 1604–1609 * The gateway of the St. Barbara Gasthuis, 1624

References

Sources

* Deugd boven geweld, Een geschiedenis van Haarlem, 1245–1995, edited by Gineke van der Ree-Scholtens, 1995, {{DEFAULTSORT:Key, Lieven De 1560 births 1627 deaths Dutch Golden Age architects Dutch Baroque architects Architects from Ghent Artists from Haarlem 17th-century Dutch architects 16th-century Dutch architects