Drawing lessons in Felix Meritis – Reinier Vinkeles, 1801

“Teken zaal in het gebouw der maatschappyë Felix Meritis binnen Amsterdam” [Drawing room in the building of the society Felix Meritis in Amsterdam], etching with engraving made by Reinier Vinkeles and Daniël Vrijdag after a drawing by Pieter Barbiers and Jacques Kuyper, published in 1801 by Cornelis Sebille Roos. Plate size: 44 × 55.2 cm.

The society Felix Meritis (“Happy through Merit”) was founded in 1777 by the well-to-do citizenry of Amsterdam. From the act of foundation: “The main aim of the Society is, by way of useful recreation, to cultivate intellect and virtue through the practice of arts and sciences, and to promote social interaction among the Members. In all activities one shall avoid anything that could offend differing religions, moral convictions or political opinions, and the directors are obliged to guard carefully against this.”

Felix Meritis thus aimed to promote the arts and sciences, a popular pursuit in the Age of Enlightenment. The city at the time was home to numerous societies, both large and small, ranging from very exclusive to broadly accessible, where like-minded individuals could gather.

The society was divided into five departments: music, physics, commerce, literature, and drawing. The symbols of these disciplines were displayed on the façade of the large building the society opened eleven years later on the Keizersgracht. Each department had its own space: there was an auditorium, a chemical laboratory, rooms for physics, the drawing room depicted here, and an observatory in the cupola on the roof.

Price: Euro 375,-