Lot 45: Jan de Beijer , Aarau 1703 - 1780 Cleves the westerkerk, amsterdam, seen from the rozengracht Pen and grey ink and watercolour, heightened with white; signed with a monogram in brown ink, verso : JDB

Pen and grey ink and watercolour, heightened with white; signed with a monogram in brown ink, verso : JDB

measurements note 357 by 310 mm

H. Romers, J. de Beijer Oeuvre-Catalogus, The Hague 1969, cat. 1072

With P. De Boer, Amsterdam, 1945;
With Gebr. Douwes, Amsterdam;
sale, Amsterdam, Mak van Waay, 15 January 1974, lot 58;
sale, Amsterdam, Mak van Waay, 28 October 1975, lot 5;
Jacobus A. Klaver, Amsterdam

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE LATE JACOBUS A. KLAVER, AMSTERDAM
Jan de Beijer was one of the leading topographical draughtsman of his time, and produced a wide range of views of towns, castles and other locations throughout Holland. In 1722 he settled for a while in Amsterdam, where he was a pupil of Cornelis Pronk, but thereafter travelled extensively around the country, before basing himself in Utrecht from 1753-1765. His topographical views are generally fairly reliable, and are therefore of considerable documentary value. The Westerkerk, familiar to modern-day visitors to Amsterdam thanks to its proximity to the popular attractions of the Jordaan and the Anne Frank House, is one of the most attractive of the city's 17th-century churches. At 85 metres, its tower is also the tallest in Amsterdam. The church was designed by Hendrick de Keyser, and built between 1620 and 1631. Following the architect's death in 1621, his son Pieter assumed responsibility for the project, and replaced the octagonal tower of his father's design with the square one that we see today. A monochrome drawing by De Beijer of the church seen from the corner of the Bloemgracht was formerly in the remarkable Leonhardt Collection of Amsterdam topographical material,υ1 and another view, this time from the Keizersgracht, was also sold some years ago.υ2 Another watercolour dated 1766, in the Amsterdam Stadsarchief, shows almost exactly the same view as here.υ3 The present, large watercolour is, however, one of the most impressive of all the various drawings that De Beijer made of the Westerkerk. 1. Sold, Amsterdam, Christie's, 20 November 1989, lot 175 2. Sold, Amsterdam, Sotheby's, 12 November 1996, lot 184 3. 205 by 177 mm. Romers, op. cit., cat. 1053