Thomas de Keyser - Portrait of Hendrick de Keyser NK1420

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 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, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

changing into Baroque. Most of his works appeared in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, some elsewhere in the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

. He was the father of

Pieter Pieter is a male given name, the Dutch language, Dutch form of Peter (name), 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 a ...

and

Thomas de Keyser Thomas de Keyser (c. 1596–1667) was a Dutch portrait painter and 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. Rembra ...

and

Willem Willem () is a Dutch name, Dutch and West Frisian language, West FrisianRienk de Haan, ''Fryske Foarnammen'', Leeuwarden, 2002 (Friese Pers Boekerij), , p. 158. masculine given name. The name is Germanic languages, Germanic, and can be seen as the ...

, and the uncle of Huybert de Keyser, who became his apprentices and all involved in building, decoration and architecture.

Biography and works

Hendrick de Keyser was born in

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

, 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 painter and engraver, who after training in the Dutch Republic worked most of his career in Rome. His workshop in Rome played an important role in spreading Italian art throughout E ...

(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 Continental Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Protestant church in the Nieuwmarkt area of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The church played an important part in the life of Rembr ...

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 (agent), factor Richard Clough to act as a centre of commerce for the City of London. The site was provided by the Ci ...

. There he contracted

Nicholas Stone Nicholas Stone (1586/87 – 24 August 1647) was an England, English sculpture, sculptor and architect. In 1619 he was appointed master-mason to James I of England, James I, and in 1626 to Charles I of England, Charles I. During his ca ...

? Perhaps they met with

Inigo Jones Inigo Jones (15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was an English architect who was the first significant Architecture of England, architect in England in the early modern era and the first to employ Vitruvius, Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmet ...

, 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 ...

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 and worked at

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 ...

, 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 hi ...

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 advice 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 or Cornelius Ketel (18 March 1548 – 8 August 1616) was a Dutch Mannerist painter, active in Elizabethan London from 1573 to 1581, and in Amsterdam till his death. Ketel, known essentially as a portrait-painter, was also a poet ...

, whom he visited when Ketel made his will; both were

Arminian Arminianism is a movement of Protestantism initiated in the early 17th century, based on the Christian theology, theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed Church, Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius and his historic supporters known as Remo ...

Remonstrant The Remonstrants (or the Remonstrant Brotherhood) is a Protestant movement that 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 ori ...

. 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

(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 (; ) is a Calvinism, Reformed church within Protestant Church in the Netherlands, Dutch Protestant Calvinism in central Amsterdam, Netherlands. It lies in the most western part of the Grachtengordel (Amsterdam), Grachtengordel nei ...

(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 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 Company rule in India, British India was governed until the British government took control of the company's possessions in India in 1858. It was locate ...

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 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, Amsterdam The Stadsbank van ...

. The renovation of the

Waag WAAG ( FM 94.9 MHz), known as FM 95, is a radio station licensed for Galesburg, Illinois, United States. The station is owned by Galesburg Broadcasting Company. The station has a country music Country (also called country and western ...

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 east ...

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 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, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

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 Southern Netherlands, Flemish painter and draughtsman who specialised in architectural paintings and, in particular, church interiors. Life He was a son of the Dutch people, Dutc ...

. The Amsterdam Renaissance style deviates in many respects from sixteenth-century

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

architecture. Classical elements such as

pilasters In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

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 a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

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 treatise ...

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 ...

. 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 Golden Age. Life He was born into a wealthy family at Haarlem and spent his youth in his hometown. Being of noble birth and with time on his han ...

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 s ...

. 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 or William the Taciturn (; 24 April 153310 July 1584), more commonly known in the Netherlands as William of Orange (), was the leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburg Netherlands, Habsburgs that set off the ...

for the

Nieuwe Kerk (Delft) The Nieuwe Kerk (; ) 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 here in a mauso ...

(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 ye ...

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

? When De Keyser and Danckerts returned to Amsterdam

, 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

List of works

Entrance tower Zuiderkerk Amsterdam by night

* 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 t ...

poortje'', Amsterdam. The decoration on the top is not by HdK and dates from 1663. * 1606: '' Oost-Indisch Huis'', Amsterdam. The attribution to HdK is uncertain. * 1606: ''

Montelbaanstoren The Montelbaanstoren is a tower on the bank of the Oudeschans – a canal in Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It ha ...

'', Amsterdam. * 1606-1611: ''

'', 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

, demolished in 1838. * 1618-1620: '' Stadhuis'', Delft. * 1620-1623: ''

Noorderkerk The Noorderkerk (Dutch language, Dutch for "northern church") is a 17th-century Protestant church in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The Noorderkerk is located along Prinsengracht canal, on Noordermarkt square. The church is used for Dutch Reformed Ch ...

'', Amsterdam, together with city mason Cornelis Danckertsz. * 1620-1631: ''

'', 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 Prinseng ...

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

(1606) File:Gravure van het Oost Indisch Huis (17e eeuw).jpg, Oost-Indisch Huis 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,

(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

(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,

(1619) File:Stadhuis Delft - Hendrick de Keyser - 11901 - RCE.jpg, Design of the City hall in Delft File:Noorderkerk, Noordermarkt.JPG,

File:Rotterdam_standbeeld_Erasmus.jpg, Statue of Erasmus in Rotterdam

References

External links

Hendrick de Keyser at ArchimonVermeer 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 (city) 16th-century Dutch architects 17th-century Dutch architects