Hendrick de Keyser

Hendrick de Keyser

Hendrick de Keyser (15 May 156515 May 1621) was a Dutch sculptor and architect born in Utrecht, Netherlands, who was instrumental in establishing a late Renaissance form of Mannerism in Amsterdam. He was the father of Thomas de Keyser who was an architect and portrait painter.

Biography and works

As a young man the Utrecht-born artist Hendrick de Keyser was apprenticed to master Cornelis Bloemaert. At the age of 26 he followed Bloemaert to Amsterdam. Soon he set to work as an independent artist. When his talent became generally appreciated he was appointed city stone mason and sculptor. In fact his duties included all of the tasks now associated with the job of city architect. De Keyser is famous for a number of important buildings which belong to the core of Dutch historic sites. Today the Zuiderkerk (1603-1611) and accompanying tower (1614), the Delft Town Hall (1618-1620), the Westerkerk (1620-1631) and Westertoren (built in 1638 but in a modified version) are among the historic buildings which provide important insights into De Keyser’s work. His Commodity Exchange of 1608-1613 was pulled down in the 19th century.

Hendrick de Keyser's projects in Amsterdam during the early decades of the 17th century helped establish a late Mannerist style referred to as "Amsterdam Renaissance". The Amsterdam Renaissance style deviates in many respects from sixteenth-century Italian Renaissance architecture. Classical elements such as pilasters, cornices and frontons 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. 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 and Pieter Post.

Apart from pursuing a career as an architect, De Keyser remained active as a sculptor. He designed the tomb of William the Silent for the Nieuwe Kerk at Delft (1614-1623). However, De Keyser did not live to see the finished product. His son Pieter completed the project.

In 1631, ten years after De Keyser’s death, Cornelis Danckertsz included the architect’s most important sketches in his book ’Architectura Moderna’.

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. The Amsterdam city administrators sent him to England where he worked with Inigo Jones (1573-1652). Jones was the first English architect who went to Italy to learn all he could about classical architecture. He studied the famous treatises written by the Roman architect Vitruvius (circa 30 BC), and his intimate knowledge of the work of Palladio (1518-1580) gave him the nickname the English Palladio. The Banqueting House in London, designed for the Stuart monarchs, became the prototype of classical architecture in England. When De Keyser returned to Amsterdam one of Jones’ assistants, Nicholas Stone, joined him. Stone worked with De Keyser in Amsterdam from 1607 to 1613 and even became his son-in-law. De Keyser attention to England and English architecture reflect Amsterdam's position as a commercial centre in Europe.

External links

* [http://www.archimon.nl/architects/hdekeyser.html Hendrick de Keyser at Archimon]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Hendrick de Keyser — Gravure du Cabinet doré du libre et noble art de peindre (en néerlandais: Het Gulden Cabinet vande Edel Vry Schilder Const) Hendrick de Keyser I, ou Henri de Keyser, ou encore dit Hendrick de Keyser l Ancien (15 mai 1565, Utrecht 15 mai 1621,… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Hendrick de Keyser — Zuiderkerk in Amsterdam Westerkerk in Amsterdam …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Hendrick de Keyser Apartment — (Амстердам,Нидерланды) Категория отеля: Адрес: Keizersgracht 582, Амст …   Каталог отелей

  • Keyser — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Agnes Keyser (1869–1919), englische Kurtisane und Mätresse von König Eduard VII. von Großbritannien Bertha Keyser („Engel von St. Pauli“; 1868–1964) widmete ihr Leben in selbstloser Weise der Pflege und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • KEYSER (H. de) — KEYSER HENDRICK DE (1565 1621) Architecte, sculpteur et médailleur hollandais. L’œuvre la plus célèbre de Hendrick de Keyser (avec la collaboration de son fils Thomas) est le fastueux mausolée de Guillaume le Taciturne, dans le chœur de la Nieuwe …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Hendrick — Hendrik oder Hendrick ist eine Form des Vornamens Heinrich, der auch als Familienname in Gebrauch ist. Hendrik ist verwandt mit dem Namen Heinrich, der die Bedeutung Haus, Herrschaft, Macht und Herrscher hat. Er ist vor allem in den Niederlanden… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Keyser, Thomas de — ▪ Dutch painter born c. 1596, Amsterdam, Neth.   buried June 7, 1667, Amsterdam       Dutch Baroque painter and architect, best known for his portraiture of leading civic figures in Amsterdam.  He was the son of the distinguished architect and… …   Universalium

  • Keyser —   [ kejsər],    1) Hendrick de, niederländischer Baumeister und Bildhauer, * Utrecht 15. 5. 1565, ✝ Amsterdam 15. 5. 1621, Vater von 3); ab 1594 in Amsterdam tätig; in der Profanarchitektur schloss er sich dem Florisstil an, in den kirchlichen… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Keyser, Hendrick de — ▪ Dutch sculptor born May 15, 1565, Utrecht, Spanish Habsburg domain [now in The Netherlands] died May 15, 1621, Amsterdam, Neth.  most important Dutch sculptor of his day and an architect whose works formed a transition between the ornamental… …   Universalium

  • KEYSER, Hendrick (Henrick) de — (1565–1621)    Sculptor. Born in Utrecht, de Keyser was appointed the city sculptor of Ams terdam in 1594. Soon he became one of its principal architects. He built the Stock Exchange (demolished in 1838), the Zuiderkerk and the Westerkerk, and… …   Historical Dictionary of the Netherlands

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”