Hendrick de Keyser
Hendrick de Keyser ( born May 15, 1565 in Utrecht, † May 15, 1621 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch architect and sculptor who is considered the leading architect of the Golden Age together with Lieven de Key and its buildings are considered the pinnacle of the Renaissance.
Life and work
De Keyser's father was Cornelis Dirxzoon de Keyser, a Utrecht master carpenter, who was known for making fine furniture. De Keyser was at the Utrecht sculptor Cornelis Bloemaert in the doctrine, was with him may 1520 a study trip to Paris and went with him in 1591 to Amsterdam, where he in 1594 a position as stadsbeeldsnijder en- Steenhouwer (city carver and sculptor ) of the city of Amsterdam obtained. 1607 sent him the city after London, " omme aldaer inspectie te nemen op zeeckre wercken " (to take well-known works in personal appearances ), where he exchanged also with Inigo Jones. 1612 he was appointed city architect of Amsterdam.
Characteristics of de Keyser's style are the small pilasters, cornices, pediments, gables and loose decorative elements, such as vases or monumental pinnacles of white stone in the typical red brick facades of the Renaissance. His buildings are partially influenced by classical elements, his late work, however, tends rather to the Dutch Mannerism, which lies between the Renaissance and Baroque architecture.
As a sculptor, de Keyser primarily from the Delft sculptor Willem van Tetrode (1525-1580) was influenced, who had made a study trip to Italy and whose main work was the ruined altar with 24 stone figures of the Oude Kerk in Delft.
De Keyser worked with various materials such as bronze, marble or terracotta. In the Rijksmuseum, there are some small bronze figures, such as Mercurius. Better known are its lifelike terracotta busts, usually commissioned portraits. His most known work as a sculptor is the mausoleum of Prince Willem I in the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, where he worked until his death. A study for this grave monument, a terracotta model, is also in the possession of the Rijksmuseum.
De Keyser was married since April 6, 1591 with Beyken van wilder (* 1569 in Antwerp, buried on November 23, 1621 in Amsterdam). He had four sons: Pieter took over his father's business after his death and completed some of his works, including the Westerkerk and Noorderkerk in Amsterdam as well as the mausoleum of Prince Willem I. The sons Willem and Hendrick were a sculptor, his son Thomas was a painter.
Hendrick de Keyser was in the Amsterdam Zuiderkerk ( South Church ) buried, he had built from 1603 to 1614.
Buildings (selection)
Afterlife
Founded in 1918, The Dutch Association for the Protection of historic houses named after Hendrick de Keyser. It strives for the study and preservation of significant residential buildings in the Netherlands. Similar to the National Trust in the UK it takes many buildings as property and makes them available to the public.