Fire! Jan van der Heyden
Jan van der Heyden, painter and inventor2 February - 30 April 2007The Rijksmuseum presents the first exhibition on Jan van der Heyden in the Netherlands since 1937. Van der Heyden was one of the leading 17th-century painters of Dutch cityscapes. He was also fascinated by firefighting and is still remembered to this day by many as the inventor of the fire hose. The Rijksmuseum exhibition focuses on the diversity of Van der Heyden, who became known as the Dutch Leonardo da Vinci. Jan van der Heyden, painterAs an artist, Jan van der Heyden became famous for his serene, and highly detailed city views. This meticulous specialisation suited his interest in technology. While Van der Heyden’s paintings appear realistic, he often manipulated elements to suit his composition. Some of his paintings are pure architectural fantasy. Jan van der Heyden had prominent patrons. Most famous of all was the Italian ruler, Cosimo de’Medici. Jan van der Heyden, inventorJan van der Heyden was a man of many talents: as well as painting, he was also a successful inventor and businessman. Van der Heyden's best known invention was the hose fire engine. His pump system and fire hose made firefighting significantly more effective. Using the fire hose, firemen were able for the first time to penetrate to the heart of a fire. His inventions made him a wealthy man. |
Web specialJan van der Heyden's Amsterdam, the promotion of the new fire hose and all the paintings and drawings of the exhibition Fire! |
Publication
'Jan van der Heyden (1637-1712)' appeared from 16 September 2006 to 10 January 2007 at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich (Conn., US), accompanied by a catalogue of the same title written by Peter C. Sutton (lead author) with Jonathan Bikker and Arie Wallert (essays), and Taco Dibbits, Marijn Schapelhouman and Norbert Middelkoop (catalogue entries), published by Yale University Press. Price: € 64,-. The catalogue is on sale in the museum shop.
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