Description of the Cityhouse of Amsterdam, 1766

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This small volume is a guide to the Cityhouse of Amsterdam, known variously as the Amsterdam Town Hall and the Royal Palace, built in the 1650s as the largest Neoclassical structure north of the Alps. In the Dutch Golden Age, Amsterdam’s burghers wanted a monument worthy of their self-image as consuls of a new Rome of the North. It had to be grand enough to cement Amsterdam’s primacy as the commercial hub of Europe. Though Napoleon eventually converted the Town Hall into a royal palace, the burghers succeeded in creating an awe-inspiring structure, which remains a tourist attraction to this day.

The guide details the history and architecture of the Town Hall as well as its elaborate decorative program, often laden with meaning, to which several artists in Mia’s collection contributed.

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Details
Title
Description of the Cityhouse of Amsterdam
Artist Life
1704 - 1754
Role
Publisher
Accession Number
2018.85
Provenance
Hunt Library, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Penn., sold to Caliban, January, 2014; (Caliban Book Shop, Pittsburgh, sold to Gedge); (Samuel Gedge Ltd, Hanworth, Norwich, U.K.)
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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