Amsterdam grew in the seventeenth century into the most important city of Europe. Trade on the world seas made Amsterdam treacherous and the number of inhabitants increased fivefold in half a century. A new big town hall had to underline the power of this metropolis.
The Royal Palace was built as town hall between 1648 and 1665. It was built for the entire administrative and judiciary. The building was designed by architect Jacob van Campen, and initiated on the 29th of July 1655. For one and a half century, it was used as town hall. Later, during a few days in 1768, the building was for the first time used as a palace. The reason for this was the festive reception of city holder Willem V and his wife, which had to be in the capital of the Netherlands. In 1806 became Louis Napoleon king of the Netherlands. At first, he chose The Hague as residence, but in 1807 he decided to move the residence to the center of Amsterdam. The king started to use the town hall as Royal Palace in 1808. Louis departed from the throne on the 2nd of July 1810 and Charles-François Lebrun, was authorized by the French emperor to use the palace as a residence. After the fall of Napoleon in 1813, gave William of Orange, later William I, The Royal Palace back to Amsterdam. But William I saw the importance of staying in the capital after his inauguration. The city council of Amsterdam made the former town hall available again for the king at his request. However, it took until 1936 before the palace became official property. Today, the palace has a mainly representative function. Beside that is the building regularly visited by the public, and is being used during New Year’s receipts and for other official receipts. Also, the award ceremony of the Erasmus Prize, The Silver Carnation, the Royal Prize for Free Painting and the Prince Claus Prize is held there annually. The building applies as Dutch’s most important historical and cultural monument of the Golden Age. The Royal Palace in Amsterdam is the 24th window on the canon of Amsterdam.
My first impression of the building was that it is really big and nice when you look at the whole. The many windows and the Roman architecture like the arches and the tympanum make the building look very important and expensive. I also think that it is very nice that they used bible/history figures on this important Dutch building because the general Dutch religion is Christianity so those images are part of The Dutch history. Beside that was faith always very important in the past so that reminds me of our ancestors who helped to make the Netherlands rich by means of trade. You can see those figures for example incorporated onto the wall or placed on top of the building like the statues. Despite that the statues and walls are beautiful and detailed, are they very grey so the Royal Palace also looks quite old and in terms of care it doesn’t look so important.
So I think that an important building must have a good appearance from the outside to show that it is important.I don’t think that you can deduct the function from its appearance because if I think of a palace then I think of big white remote building somewhere in a peaceful environment with many large gardens and big stairs at the front of the building. What you can tell by this building is that it is important because it is so big and because of the statues, windows and Roman architecture, but in my opinion it does not meet a palace.
The building was originally built as town hall for the entire administrative and judiciary, but it was for the first used as a palace in 1768. The reason for this was the festive reception of city holder Willem V and his wife, which had to be in the capital of the Netherlands. In 1806 became Louis Napoleon king of the Netherlands. At first, he chose The Hague as residence, but in 1807 he decided to move the residence to the center of Amsterdam. And that is how the king started to use the town hall as Royal Palace in 1808.
The Royal Palace blends into the environment if you look at the colours and the shape of the building. On the pictures you can see that the environment has a gray/brownish appearance and the shapes of the buildings are squares. The royal palace and the buildings around it are built out of stone and the windows are made of glass. The buildings around the Royal Palace have a typical Dutch architectural style which is recognizable by the tight style. They are mostly high, narrow and deep while the Royal Palace has a lot of Roman elements in its building and is very large and wide. Also the Royal Palace is a horizontal building while the other buildings at the dam are more vertical. So in these points the Royal Palace stands out in the environment.
You can easily tell where the entrance of the Royal Palace is because there is a red carpet in front of the door and there are guards standing next to it. So even though there is no big door or a signboard with the words: ‘entrance’, you can understand that here is the entrance.
The Royal Palace architecture has the characteristics of Dutch classicism, a style that was inspired by the work of Northern Italian architects Andrea Palladio and Vincenzo Scamozzi. In their books and own designs, they chose ancient Roman architecture as a starting point. Simple shapes and proportions, combined with classical ornaments, determine the massive appearance of the Amsterdam Royal Palace. The Palace had to be a centre in the city and is therefore built in this style because it shows wealth. You can see for example the characteristics: tympanum above the upper windows in the middle of the building, the arches at the entrance, the dome, the bible statues, the Roman columns, the guirlandes (flower lingers) , the Roman numbers on the clock, symmetry and geometric shapes.
Comparison:
The Royal Palace of Brussels:
Similarities: This building is a very big building and the focus is horizontal. It has Roman elements in it which you can tell by the columns, arches, tympanum and the dome. It is symmetrical and has also a greyish appearance. The building has a lot of windows and geometric shapes. You can’t see front door and it contains a lot of windows. The focus is on the middle of the building.
Differences: This Royal Palace has a big garden in front of it and the columns stand out of the building. The building is bigger and contains no statues on the outside. On top of the dome is the Belgian flag and it is not in the city centre.
The Royal Palace of Madrid:
Similarities: It has Roman elements in the building like the arches, columns, and statues. It is very big and the focus is horizontal. The building contains wall decorations, and tympanum above the windows. It has no garden. It contains a clock with Roman numbers. You can’t see a front door and it contains a lot of windows.
Differences: The building has no dome on top of it and it has side walls which come to the front which create depth. It has a flag on top of it and the building is not placed in the city centre. The colour of the building is whiter (brighter), so is looks more modern because of that.
Mauritshuis by Jacob van Campen:
Similarities: The square building was built in Dutch-classical style which you can tell by the symmetry, guirlandes, crown list, the tympanum and the pilaster. It contains Roman elements like: columns and the tympanum. The colour of the building is not full white. The focus is on the middle.
Differences: the building is smaller, it has a fence, a pilaster, stairs before the front door, no statues, no dome on top of the building, and there is not really a vertical or horizontal focus. You can easily tell where the front door is and it contains a lot of windows. It also contains the colours blue, red and brown which the Royal Palace does not contain on the outside. It is no palace.
Huygenshuis by Jacob van Campen:
Similarities: The square building was built in Dutch-classical style which you can tell by the symmetry, the tympanum and the pilaster. It contains Roman elements like: columns, a tympanum on the roof and typanums above the windows. The focus is horizontal. It contains a lot of windows and there are statues on top of the tympanum and roof. The focus is on the middle of the building.
Differences: the building is smaller, it has stairs before the front door and you can easily tell where the front door is. It also has a pilaster and it is no palace
Chapter 2. Exterior
The main facade of the Royal Palace is horizontal symmetrical, so if you would split the building into two halves from top to bottom, then they would exactly be the same. The building is vertically divided into five blocks. You have got the middle of the building, letter C. Then you have got the left end and the right end of the building, letters A and E. And between the letters A and C and C and E you have got the letters B and D. So the letters A and E are the same, and the letters B and D are the same. The letters A and E are in comparison with the other parts the narrowest blocks of the building and letter C is the biggest block of the building. On the bottom of the building are in the middle seven arches, here you can find the entrance. Next to those arches are on the left and on the right side eight windows. On the second floor you have got from left to right twenty-three big windows and twenty-three small windows above them. Between the big and the small windows are guirlandes. Above the arches on the first floort is a balcony. When you go one floor up then you are located on the third floor, but between the second and the third floor is a crown list. If you look at the third floor then you can see that it is exactly the same as the second floor. It has twenty-three big windows and twenty-three small windows above them, and between the big and the small windows are again guirlandes. Now we go one floor up again and then we are located on the roof and I call it the fourth floor in the picture. In the middle of the roof is a big tympanum with bible figures carved into it. On the top, left and right of this tympanum are statues. On the top is the statues of peace, on the left is the statue of Caution and on the right is the statue of Justice. On the left and on the right (block A and E) are statues with birds and behind these statues and behind the right and left statues on the tympanum are chimneys. Then we go one floor up again to the fifth floor and then you can see a Roman dome. It is placed above the tympanum and the dome contains six arches and the roof of the dome is turquoise. Above the arches are guirlande, and on the bottom of the arches are small fences. In the front arch is a clock with Roman numbers on it. On top of the big dome is a smaller dome with again six arches and a turquoise roof, and on top of this dome is again a gold looking statue. The building itself is static because it looks heavy/massive. This is because of the colours and the size of the building. The building is also geometric because geometrical shapes are used into the building like rectangles, triangles and circles.
Which materials have been used? Functional/Decorative
Wood Functional
Natural stone Functional
Glass Functional/ Decorative
Concrete Functional
Marble Decorative
Bronze Decorative
If you look at the construction method and then at the arches then you can tell that they used the stacking construction. This method is used for the uniform power delivery where the downward forces are collected by regularly spaced wall thicknesses or pillars. The building itself consist out of the wooden construction. You can tell this by the fact that the tympanum is a triangle and you can never built a triangle out of stone, just like the arches.
There are many decorations on the outside of the Royal Palace. If you look at the building you can see that there are guirlandes above the windows and the columns are decorated with images. On the picture on the right you can see one of the columns. It shows the Corinthian Chapel, including a snake biting its own tail. This is one of the oldest mythical symbols in the world that symbolizes the cycle in nature, the eternal return and the unity of everything. The column has the construction of the Corinthian, it has a base and a decoration on the top. The column serves to strengthen the building. Another decoration is the tympanum. ‘In’ the tympanum are carvings, which contain elements from the classic stories. This engraving had to depict the power of Amsterdam. The tympanum shows the prosperity that emerges from peace: seagulls and creatures depict the Amsterdam’s dominance at sea and pay tribute to the Amsterdam city center who thrives in the middle. On top of the tympanum are three statues depicting Peace, Caution and Justice. Peace refers to the peace of Münster (1648). The statue carries two peace symbols: the olive branch and the staff of Mercury. At her feet are the fruits of a Horn of Overflows or Cornucopia pouring out around her pelvis. Caution or Wisdom has a mirror in her hand and around her arm twists a snake. Both attributes symbolize the knowledge of past, present and future, thereby ensuring wise action. Justice stands above the place where the scaffold was placed for executions. She holds a scale weighing the right in her left hand, and in the other hand she carries a staff with a radiant sighted eye.
On top of the west tympanum is the image of Atlas, a man of classical Roman stories. Atlas carries the globe on his back. He is looking forward to Amsterdam. By placing Atlas on the tympanum it was tried to depict the palace as the centre of the world. Next to Atlas, on the other corners of the tympanum, are two more statues depicting moderation and alertness. The statues of peace, caution, justice, alertness and moderation should serve as examples for the judges who rule in the palace. The ground floor consists of arches these arches serve to strengthen the building and to make the building look nice. Above the middle part rises a tall dome, from which people could see the arrival of the ships on the IJ. The dome is crowned by a compass in the shape of a cog, the old symbol of the city of Amsterdam. According to the original plan, the dome would be awarded by eight images: the eight wind directions. This plan has not been executed.
Chapter 3: Interior
The floor plan of the building’s main floor describes a rectangle with two courtyards lying on both sides of the center axis. On the central axis lies the central hall, the Civil Room (2). There are stairs in the center and next to the four corner pavilions. Galleries (3) run from the Civil Room around the two courtyards. They provide access to the surrounding rooms, in which the most important functions for the administration and case law, such as the Mayor Chamber(9), the Old Council Hall (8), the Vroedschapskamer (11) and the Schepenzaal(4) are accommodated. The Vierschaar(1) is located on the side of the Dam, on the ground floor. This is where the death sentence was pronounced. I think that the floorplan of the Royal Palace is logical because the rooms which are connected to each other are placed next to each other and you can mostly walk from one room to the other room without walking through the Civil Room like for example the Mayors council room and the Mayor room are placed next to each other. Also the fact that the Mayor room is above The Vierschaar is very logical because in this way the Mayors could have a look over the Vierschaar when there was a death sentence spoken out.
Civil Room: This is number 2 on the floorplan. The Civil Room on the main floor is accessible by the staircase behind the Vierschaar. The room was intended to be a public space where citizens and visitors of the city could meet. The floor shows the Eastern and Western Hemisphere and the northern starry sky. The current paintings date from the beginning of the eighteenth century. In the arches which connect the Civil Room to the galleries, are the building blocks of the universe pictured: the four elements earth, water, air and fire. They are depicted as man and women. The sculptures around them make clear which element it is about like you can see in the picture (element: earth). Above the eastern entrance of the hall is an image that represents the city Amsterdam. The sitting figure has palm leaves and olive branches in her hands, lions lie on her feet and she is flanked by two female figures standing for wisdom and strength.
Across the Civil Room is the entrance to the Schepenzaal. This is the most important departure for urban jurisdiction. By the entrance is the image of Justice who delays Greed and Envy. Justice is flanked by Punishment and Death. The big chandeliers which hang in the Civil Room date from the time that the town hall was used as Royal Palace by King Louis Napoleon.
Galleries: These are the numbers three on the floorplan. Just like the Civil Room, where the galleries in de 17th and 18th century accessible for the public. The extensive sculptural decor of the galleries clarified to the visitors what features were accommodated. The universe of the Civil Room is continued at the ends of the galleries by the images of the planets. The sculptures of Diana, Mercury, Jupiter, Apollo, Mars, Venus, Saturn and Cybele are appropriately linked to the accesses of various sections of the city government. The sun god (Apollo) is for example flanked as a god of arts and music and as the creator of harmony. This sculpture hangs by the entrance of the Chamber of Commissaries of Small Business.
Mayor room: This is number nine on the floorplan. In this room came the four ruling mayors together. The mayors were prominent residents of the city who were often active in the trade. They performed their administrative tasks in addition to their daily activities. It was important that they did not interfere with their interests, and the decorations in the room warned them for this. Above the access door is a marble sculpture with Mercury trying to drown Argus a sleep with his music, so that he can steel his cow. Through a large window in the wall which is opposite the fireplace, the mayors could witness directly from the meeting that took place in the Vierschaar.
Vroedschapskamer: In this room came the vroedschap together. A lecture of 36 leading Amsterdammers who acted as advisors and from which the mayors, scholars and crew were appointed. The two large chimney sheaths are carried by composite columns and pilasters and they have decorated friezes. The fries in the southern chimney part shows the terms and conditions for good advice, while in the northern chimney part the results of that good council are shown. The owl and the book show for example wisdom and study, while the dolphin can be construed as a warning against hasty decisions.
Schepenzaal: Opposite the entrance of the Civil Room is the Schepenzaal. This is where the law was spoken correctly and where laws were issued. The monumental framing of access to the Schepenzaal is awarded by the sculpture of Justice. The chimney sheath in the hall has a sculpture depicted by Quellinus in 1656 that represents the dance of the Golden Calf. Above hangs the painting of Ferdinand Bols where Mozes is descending a mounting with the stone table on which Ten Commandments by God are dictated. The relation between the two representations symbolizes the primacy of the world above the religious authority. Twice a week are marriages performed in this hall. The turtle doves and the children’s heads in the architrave appoint to this. The chamber of the commissioners of Small Cases is connected to the Schepenzaal. This is the place where law was spoken in small financial cases. You can again see this if you look at the sculptures. Apollo, the god of music, is at the entrance. As a carrier of the harmony, he could solve the conflicts. The cocks above refer to the twisting parties.
Vierschaar: Traditionally was the Vierschaar a court of law, often in the open-air, where the civil servant and alderman pronounced the death sentence. The right to pronounce a death sentence was an important urban privilege. That justifies the placement of the Vierschaar at the Dam, where the actions were publicly available for the influenced audience. This is why the building hasn’t really got a monumental entrance. The shallow, high space was partly covered with marble by Artus Quellinus. Sculptures and architectures are fused together. Against the back wall are benches on which the civil servant and alderman took place when the city secretary was reading the sentence. The mayors could look into the Vierschaar from their room on the first floor. Behind the benches are three scenes in bas relief. The performances are separated by repentant caryatids. They remember the women of Karyai who became slaves because they betrayed the city of Athens. The left sculpture shows the merciful Zaleukos of Greek history, which sticks out an eye so that his convicted son doesn’t have to stick out two eyes. In the middle is the wise judgment of Solomon from the bible depicted. On the right is the Roman consul Brutus depicted. He let other people behead his two sons because they collaborate against Rome. This serves as an example for impartiality.
The rooms have a lot of paintings on the walls or on the roof and they contain special colours and objects. Some objects also contain gold and the rooms are all quite big. Most of the rooms decorated with chandeliers, curtains, flowers, carpet etc. and what noticeable is, is that the colour of the curtains, the walls and the furniture matches. All the rooms in the Palace are connected with the Civil Room but some rooms are connected with each other too. The atmosphere in the Royal Palace conveys wealth because of the many and big rooms, the special and luxury furniture, the bling objects and also the poles with the red sling which make sure that people can’t touch anything. Because of the fact that people aren’t allowed to touch everything they get curious. The big rooms and impressive work of arts that you can find in the Royal Palace cause a wow effect because it so great made. Most of the people talk soft or they whisper because it feels kind of rude to talk loud in such an important building. The most important room is in the centre of the building, the Civil Room. The whole universe is depicted over here. In the marble floor are the maps of the western and eastern hemisphere of the world depicted. The Amsterdam city virgin above the entrance looks down on the happenings below her. Important events take place in the Civil Room. For example the state visit, a gala dinner or the annual reception of diplomats. Also, the dinner at the Corp Diplomatique is traditionally located in the palace.
On this sculpture in the Vierschaar you can see the judgement of the bible king Solomon, who could find the truth in the lawsuit by a wise trick. The two women in this sculpture said that the baby was theirs. They asked Salomon for help. He said that he would chop the baby in two halves so that both women could have the baby. One women was prepared to do this, but the other women said that she would rather see the baby alive in the hands of the other women than death. This is how Solomon knew that the second women was the real mother.
This is the sculpture of Icarus. Icarus and Daedalus were captured by king Minos in Crete, and Daedalus had found a way to escape. He built wings of a wooden frame, occupied with feathers in a bow fastened with wax. Because the wax can melt, Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun, but also not too low because the wings will become too heavy because of the seawater. In his enthusiasm however, Icarus became reckless. He flied too high so the was melt and he crashed into the Aegean Sea. This is a still-known warning to take no risk of business, because then you will make your own downfall
In the Civil Room you can find a sculpture of the element earth. The earth is presented as a woman with a crown like city wall on her head.
She is about to give her child breastfeeding, as a sign of fertility, and she is surrounded by animals and a tree of fruit. The image is accompanied by the earth’s products.
Atlas is the symbol for the universe and emphasizes Amsterdam’s central place in the Golden Age. The starry sky is given to him as a punishment of Zeus, after a lost battle of the titans against the gods. Using the stars, the Amsterdam ships carry the world’s seas.
The all-seeing eyes of Argus is a sculpture above the entrance of the Mayor room. Argus was instructed to guard Io, the daughter of the river goddess Inachus, who changed into a cow. Leaning on his sheep hook Argus is listening to Mercury who tries to let him fall asleep with his pan flute so that he can steal the cow. By showing a standing, wary Argus with all one hundred eyes open, his attention is emphasized. It is a warning to the mayors to stay alert.
In the former Assurances Chamber, insurance could be closed in the 17th and 18th centuries. The decorations, including this painting above the fireplace, are in the name of protection, collateral and insurance. The painting by Willem Strijcker shows the Greek hero Theseus Ariadne, daughter of King Minos of Crete, giving back a sphere of thread. By rolling out the wire, Theseus could safely find his way back out of a maze after killing the Minotaurus (a mythological monster, half-bull, half-man). The wire symbolizes the insurance with which the shipmen and their precious goods could safely get home.
The Royal Palace is furnished according to the Empire style. This interior style of the early 19th century was introduced by Louis Napoleon in the palace during his two-year royalty over Holland. The Empire style is a mix of ancient Egyptian and Roman architecture. Originally, it is a French style and it flourished after the French Revolution under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte. This interior style seeks back on the empire; in French they call that: Empire. During that time, many castles and palaces in France were dressed up with the Empire style. The city of Lyon was at that time a major silk producer. This rich fabric is therefore also an important and clear feature of the Empire style. Other features of the Empire style are rich pastels, gold colours, large chandeliers of crystal and Roman columns. The Empire style was reserved for prosperous citizens only. In the Palace you can find a lot of this style. Almost every room contains a chandelier and many objects are gold like the roofs or the mirrors. The rooms contain decorated columns like you can see on the picture and a lot of paintings with hidden symbolism behind them. When you compare the small rooms with the Civil Room and the Vierschaar then it is noticeable that the Civil Room and the Vierschaar are a little bit boring in terms of colour, but the decorations in these rooms are magnificent. In the Civil Room you can see again the Roman arches and the guirlandes above the windows. Also in the Vierschaar are the Roman arches, the columns, the guirlandes and many sculptures.
You can find a lot of references to the classical culture. This is because the Netherlands gladly reflected the virtues of fatherland love, faithfulness and responsible management of the republican Rome. Therefore, not only the construction had to be classical of architecture, but also the paintings and sculptures had to refer to the ancient antiquity with especially moral intentions. Some examples are:
My favourite artwork is: Argus’ all-seeing eyes. Argus was a giant who had one hundred eyes over his body of which only two could sleep at once. I like the story behind the sculpture because Zeus changed Io into a cow because he liked her and his wife was not allowed to know that. Argus had to take care of the cow, but was killed by the son of Zeus because he let all one hundred eyes of Zeus fall asleep with a pan flute so that he could steal the cow. It is a very creative story and it shows you that you always have to be careful who you trust even though you might think that you know somebody.
If you look at the construction method and then at the arches then you can tell that they used the stacking construction. This method is used for the uniform power delivery where the downward forces are collected by regularly spaced wall thicknesses or pillars. In the round roofs is the hood construction applied, which serves to carry the roof covering and to keep the underlying building water and windproof. You can also see that there is a wooden construction from the inside because the building contains again arches which can’t be made with stone also the triangular parts around the windows must be made out of wood because otherwise the construction would fall apart.
In the palace is no fixed route, you can choose the route that you want to walk by yourself. There is an audio tour provided for every visitor who wishes to get more information about the rooms. In the doorway of every room hangs a sign with information about the room and if you want to ask special questions then there are the people who work in the Royal Palace who can give you the answer to your question. There is of course also a guided tour available.
If I could improve anything in the palace then I would give the palace a fixed route because then it is easier for the visitors to see all the rooms because know you maybe can’t remember if you already have been in this room or not. Also people will walk in one directions so that the walking routes are more relaxed. I would also hang signs beneath important sculptures or paintings so that people without audio tour can read the information and also know what it is about.
Chapter 4: Short reflection
I think that I did a good job at the Royal Palace because I took a lot of pictures and I have seen every room. I looked into the assignment and I took into account the assignments we had to work out, so I attentively looked at the details. I did this all in time that was given and I even had time left. I started with the report immediately after I got back home so I already made the introduction. I had a lot of work to do for school so I made the others chapters one week before we had to hand the report in. I worked three days on the report because I think that it was a lot of work to find information about the building itself and to find detailed information about the sculptures and painting in the Royal Palace.
I thought that the excursion in general was very educational and I had never been in the Rijksmuseum and Royal Palace before and I think you should have been there once so I like it that I have seen now. Also we had enough time to explore the Rijksmuseum and the Royal Palace and also for our self (to shop). The schedule was not too busy so at the end of the day I was not very tired, which was very nice!
I think that the chosen buildings were nice to see once because they are important buildings for the Netherlands. I liked to see the paintings and sculptures in the Rijksmuseum but I haven’t learned much from it actually so I would have liked a tour so that you can learn more about it. Also I would remember it more easily if I would get more information about it. The building that I liked best was the Royal Palace because this is a building were the King now and then comes so it is nice to see what furniture the king uses. I also liked the architecture in the Royal Palace because there were a lot of sculptures made into the walls with a story behind it which is I think very interesting.