Auditorium in Felix Meritis – Reinier Vinkeles, 1794

“Gehoor Zaal in het Gebouw der Maatschappyë Felix Meritis binnen Amsterdam” [Auditorium in the building of the society Felix Meritis in Amsterdam], etching with engraving made by Reinier Vinkeles and Noach van der Meer after a drawing by Pieter Barbiers and Jacques Kuyper, published in 1794 by Cornelis Sebille Roos. Plate size: 44.5 × 55 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 sought to promote the arts and sciences, a popular pursuit in the Age of Enlightenment. The city at the time had many societies, both large and small, ranging from highly exclusive to broadly accessible, where like-minded individuals could meet.

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 that the society opened eleven years later on the Keizersgracht. Each department had its own space: there was an auditorium, a chemical laboratory, a drawing room, and an observatory in the cupola on the roof.

This print shows the auditorium, built in neoclassical style, which served as a venue for lectures, recitations, and meetings of the society. The interior is richly decorated, with tall windows letting in daylight, marble columns, elegant wall decorations, and a statue of the Roman goddess Minerva—symbol of wisdom and knowledge—above the door.

In the foreground we see elegantly dressed ladies and gentlemen conversing and admiring the hall. Their presence underlines the social and cultural role of Felix Meritis in the late eighteenth century: it was not merely a study and society space, but also a meeting place for the well-to-do bourgeoisie.

The Auditorium embodied the ideals of the Enlightenment: people gathered here to exchange knowledge, discuss new ideas, and find inspiration in the lectures of scholars, poets, and philosophers.

Price: Euro 575,-