Amsterdam, Singel – Cornelis de Kruyff/ Buffa & Zn., 1825
€625
AMSTERDAM – THE SINGEL CANAL WITH THE ROUND LUTHERAN CHURCH, 1825
Aquatint made by A. Lutz after a design by Cornelis de Kruyff, published by Frans Buffa & Zonen in the Kalverstraat in Amsterdam in 1825. With original hand colouring. Size (image): approx. 25 × 33 cm.
This charming view shows the Singel canal in Amsterdam, looking north. On the right, the imposing dome of the Round Lutheran Church, also known as the Koepelkerk (cupola church), dominates the cityscape. In the distance are the Haarlemmersluis (Haarlem Lock) and the Haringpakkerstoren (Herring Packers’ Tower), which was demolished in 1829. On the left stand elegant canal houses and the entrance to the Roomolenstraat.
Several boats are moored along the canal, while pedestrians and merchants make their way along the tree-lined quayside. The carefully rendered architecture, lively figures and lush greenery provide an appealing impression of everyday life in Amsterdam in the early nineteenth century.
Interestingly, the composition is based on an earlier view of the city. This aquatint was derived from an engraving made by Paulus van Liender in 1760. The Round Lutheran Church depicted here was almost completely destroyed by fire on 18 September 1822 and was not reopened until 1826, a year after this print was published. The aquatint therefore shows the church in its original appearance, before the devastating fire.
The print formed part of the series Vues choisies d’Amsterdam et ses environs, dessinées d’après nature [Selected Views of Amsterdam and Its Surroundings, Drawn from Nature]. The series comprised 45 views of Amsterdam and its surroundings, executed in aquatint after designs by De Kruyff and several other artists. The prints were originally issued in nine instalments of five plates each.
Cornelis de Kruyff (1774–1828) specialised in town views and landscapes. A nineteenth-century biographical dictionary of artists records that De Kruyff “exhibited town views and landscapes at various exhibitions, where they were well received, as well as occasional watercolour drawings of similar subjects.”
Price: Euro 625,- (incl. frame)
