Dutch Artist, Optical Print with Illumination, Amsterdam, 18th Century, Etching, Framed

Dutch optical print with illumination, Amsterdam 18th century Illumination optics prints etching, hand-coloured by Jan de Beijer (1703-1780). The representations of the prints are in mirror image. The Schreierstoren (left) on Geldersekade at Prins Hendrikkade 94 in Amsterdam is a defensive tower that used to be part of the city wall of Amsterdam. The tower was built around 1487 on the corner of the IJ and the east side of the city, and is the only preserved defense tower in Amsterdam. The print to the right of Jan de Beijer from 1755 shows a building that was demolished in 1829: the Haringpakkerstoren at the entrance to the Singel and the Haarlemmersluis. To the left of the tower are some houses of the Haringpakkerij. The tower was built on this spot in the Middle Ages to close off the city wall. The spire on the tower was erected in the seventeenth century by city architect Hendrick de Keyser. In 1578, when Amsterdam sided with the Prince of Orange, the original name Heilige Kruistoren was exchanged for Haringpakkerstoren. This happened with more Catholic names: the Sint-Nicolaaskerk became the Oude Kerk and the Sint-Catharinakerk on Dam Square became the Nieuwe Kerk. The new name was derived from the herring factory that took place in the vicinity of the tower and which was of extraordinary importance to the economy of Amsterdam. The heyday of the Dutch herring fishery was at the end of the fourteenth century. At the beginning of the fourteenth century, herring jaws were invented. In 1416 the herring tube was introduced. Since then, the jaws happened on board. The salt-packed herring thickened during the journey; that is why the barrels were refilled on shore. This happened on the Haringpakkerij, which ran from the head of the Singel to the Martelaarsgracht, the current Prins Hendrikkade. John de Beyer After his teacher Cornelis Pronk (1691-1759), Jan de Beijer (1703-1780) was the most famous topographical draftsman in the country. In the summer he traveled to make sketches and in the winter he worked them out or edited them for reproduction by an engraver. After he settled in Amsterdam in 1751, his work focused on the area around Amsterdam and Haarlem. The prints are framed in an Oak frame and the frame measures 42 cm high, 92,5 cm wide and the depth is 5 cm (1 Inch = 2,54 cm). The weight is approx. 7,5 kilos. This item shows traces of use.