Room from an Amsterdam Canal House

anonymous, c. 1745 - c. 1748

This room is from the rear annex of Matthijs and Catharina Beuning’s home at 187 Keizersgracht in Amsterdam. The Beunings were prominent members of the Moravian Church, also known as the Unity of the Brethren. This is a Protestant religious denomination based on the personal spiritual connection between the believer and Christ. The room served as a gathering place for the Moravian congregation in Amsterdam, in which Catherina held an important position. The chimneypiece depicts the biblical story of the chamberlain’s conversion and baptism. The mirrors and stucco ceiling also incorporate elements of Christian significance. Although the Moravians advocated austerity, no expense was spared. The room is adorned in Rococo style, with precious tropical mahogany wall panelling, a great rarity around 1745. The painting above the door was added later. Although the house was demolished in 1896, this room was preserved.

  • Artwork typebetimmering
  • Object numberBK-C-2007-1
  • Dimensionsheight 460 cm
  • Physical characteristicsmahoniehout, Belgisch rouge royal marmer, olieverf op doek

Identification

  • Title(s)

    Room from an Amsterdam Canal House

  • Object type

  • Object number

    BK-C-2007-1

  • Description

    Delen van een kamerbetimmering van mahoniehout met een marmeren schoorsteenmantel en een schoorsteenstuk met De doop van de Kamerling (Handelingen 8:36-40).

  • Inscriptions / marks

    signature: ‘J.dWit // 1748’

Creation

  • Creation

    maker: anonymous, Amsterdam

  • Dating

    c. 1745 - c. 1748

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Material and technique

  • Physical description

    mahoniehout, Belgisch rouge royal marmer, olieverf op doek

  • Dimensions

    height 460 cm

Acquisition and rights

  • Credit line

    On loan from the Amsterdam Museum

  • Copyright

    Public domain

Documentation

    • De Beuning kamer : Het fraaiste Rococo interieur van de Amsterdamse grachtenhuizen, uit: Glans in de conservatierestauratie/ Lustre et brillance en conservationrestauration, 2014, pagina pp. 79-87(zie: R:\Documentatie\Artikelen\Duin_2014.pdf)
    • Lisette Vos, Ige Verslype, Richard Harmanni and Margriet van Eikema Hommes, “Rooms Without Houses, Paintings Without Walls: Researching and Presenting Fragments of Late Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Painted Rooms”, The Rijksmuseum Bulletin 65 (2017), 1, pp. 78-95.
    • Dorien Tamis, 'Stijlkamer : elementaire deeltjes', Oog 3 (2009) nr. 4, p. 74-81.
    • P. van Duin, 'De Beuning kamer, a mid-eighteenth century mahogany room from Keizersgracht 187, Amsterdam', webpublicatie ICOM-CC, p. 1-12 (http://www.icom-cc.org/54/document/de-beuning-kamer--a-mid-eighteenth-century-mahogany-room-from-keizersgracht-187-amsterdam/?id=818).
    • Reinier Baarsen, “An American Rococo Interior: The ‘Beuning Room’ in the Rijksmuseum”, The Rijksmuseum Bulletin 65 (2017), 1, pp. 2-14.
    • Paul van Duin, “The Conservation and Installation of the Beuning Room in the Rijksmuseum”. The Rijksmuseum Bulletin 65 (2017), 1, pp. 96-111.
    • Richard Harmanni, “Jurriaan Andriessen’s Painted Wall Hangings for the Beuning Room: Insights into the Design Process”, The Rijksmuseum Bulletin 65 (2017), 1, pp. 42-57.
    • Josephina de Fouw, “Rococo and Religion: A Room for Hernhutters in an Amsterdam Canal House”, The Rijksmuseum Bulletin 65 (2017), 1, pp. 28-41.
    • Frédérique ter Brugge-Drielsma, "The Beuning Room: A Hundred and Twenty Years of Dutch Museological History”, The Rijksmuseum Bulletin 65 (2017), 1, pp. 58-77.

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