Broek in Waterland – Hendrik Greven, 1838

“Vue de Broek, in Waterland”, lithograph after the design by Hendrik Greven (1787–1854) and published in Amsterdam as part of “Souvenirs de la Hollande” by Frans Buffa & Zonen in 1838. With original hand colouring. Size: (image) 15.8 × 22 cm (including caption: 19.5 × 22 cm).

This view depicts the village of Broek in Waterland, which in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries was praised by foreign travellers for its exceptional cleanliness and order. Numerous travel accounts describe the village as remarkably neat and meticulously maintained, even noting measures taken to prevent visitors from causing any form of pollution.

At the centre of the composition lies the Havenrak, the calm stretch of water that runs through the village and reflects the surrounding buildings. The Reformed church rises with its slender tower, serving as a key landmark within the flat landscape of Waterland. The surrounding wooden houses, with their characteristic gabled façades, painted in soft green tones and set among carefully trimmed trees and white-painted fences, reinforce the image of harmony and bourgeois prosperity.

Price: Euro 275,-