Leendert Viervant de Jonge (Leendert Viervant the Younger) (Arnhem, 5 March 1752– 4 July 1801, Amsterdam),[1] was a Dutch architect and cabinet builder.
Viervant stemmed from a family of architects,[2] cabinet builders and stonemasons. His father, Hendrik Viervant, was the son of cabinet builder and stonemason Leendert Viervant the Elder and married Catharina Maria Otten, the sister of the neoclassical architect Jacob Otten Husly. Also Hendrik's brother, Anthonie Viervant, was a cabinet maker and Anthonie's son Roelof Viervant designed garden pavillons and facades. All these family members have designed some buildings in 18th century Netherlands.[3]
Thanks to his family background, Viervant had a good basis to work from. Born and raised in the provincial city of Arnhem, he studied to become an architect with his uncle Husly. In 1768 he was entered into the stonemason guild of Amsterdam,[1] where he lived and worked. He lived at the Amstel and later near Hoge Sluis (1784–1790). In 1791 he was forced to let his inventory be liquidated, because he couldn't fulfill his financial obligations any longer– finally he was able to come to arrangements with his creditors. According to his uncle Husly, Viervant couldn't handle money, and he lived a wild life.[4] In 1798 he became one of the three directors at the City and Public Works Department of the City Amsterdam, after his predecessor had to leave because of his support of the Orange family (this was between the revolution and the inclusion in the French Empire).
Work
Wybrand Hendriks, Group portrait of the Board of Teylers Foundation, with their secretary and the architect Leendert Viervant, 1786, oil on canvas; 311 x 258 cm. The standing figure at the back is Leendert Viervant.The town hall of Weesp, one of Leendert Viervant the Younger's designs
Viervant was the architect of several buildings throughout the Netherlands. He was taught by his uncle Husly, and had a for that period typical neoclassical style. Short after his entry in the stonemason guild of Amsterdam in 1768, he got an assignment by the churchmasters of the Oude Kerk (Old Church) for a 'Bardiglio Marmere schoosteenmantel met holle stijlen en ornament in het midden voor f 180 (a Bardiglio marmer chimney mantel with hollow styles and an ornament in the middle for 180 guilders). From 1772 to 1776 he worked on the town hall of Weesp. In 1779 he is asked by the Teylers Stichting to design the Oval Room, the Teylers astronomical observatory and a significant part of the interior of the Teylers Museum (works began in 1784). Here he could also use his family background of cabinet makers, designing amongst others the cabinets in the Oval Room and the lower part of the Big Electrostatic generator. In his works on the Teylers Museum, he based himself amongst others on work of the architects François de Neufforge, Michelangelo and Artus Quellinus. Viervant received some 9500 guilders, and was with that amount probably one of the best paid architects in the Netherlands at the time. His uncle Husly designed several of the ceiling decorations in the Oval Room. He also works on other projects for this foundation, including the Teylers Hofje, all in Haarlem.[5] In the Regents' Room of Teylers Hofje, there is a large group portrait by Wybrand Hendriks, showing the first five Directors of Teylers Stichting sitting around a table, together with their accountant Koenraad Hovens and their architect: Leendert Viervant.
In 1787 he designed the current Kalverstraat 8 for the patriotic society, but the building was stopped soon because the society was abolished. This does however show his involvement with the patriotic circles, which would later make him director of the City and Public Works Department.[2][6] Also Viervant is believed to be the designer of the south entrance of the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam.
The Westerkerk is a Reformed church within Dutch Protestant Calvinism in central Amsterdam, Netherlands. It lies in the most western part of the Grachtengordel neighborhood, next to the Jordaan, between the Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht.
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck was a Dutch composer, organist, and pedagogue whose work straddled the end of the Renaissance and beginning of the Baroque eras. He was among the first major keyboard composers of Europe, and his work as a teacher helped establish the north German organ tradition.
The year 1788 in architecture involved some significant events.
The Grote Kerk or St.-Bavokerk is a Reformed Protestant church and former Catholic cathedral located on the central market square in the Dutch city of Haarlem. Another Haarlem church called the Cathedral of Saint Bavo now serves as the main cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam.
Teylers Museum is an art, natural history, and science museum in Haarlem, Netherlands. Established in 1778, Teylers Museum was founded as a centre for contemporary art and science. The historic centre of the museum is the neoclassical Oval Room (1784), which was built behind the house of Pieter Teyler van der Hulst (1702–1778), the so-called Fundatiehuis. Pieter Teyler was a wealthy cloth merchant and banker of Scottish descent, who bequeathed his fortune for the advancement of religion, art, and science. He was a Mennonite and follower of the Scottish Enlightenment.
The Hofje van Noblet is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands.
The Teylershofje is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands with 24 houses.
Martin(us) van Marum was a Dutch physician, inventor, scientist and teacher, who studied medicine and philosophy in Groningen. Van Marum introduced modern chemistry in the Netherlands after the theories of Lavoisier, and several scientific applications for general use. He became famous for his demonstrations with instruments, most notable the Large electricity machine, to show statical electricity and chemical experiments while curator for the Teylers Museum.
The year 1776 in architecture involved some significant events.
Anthonie Verstraelen or Van Stralen was a Dutch landscape painter, best known for his winter scenes.
Pieter Teyler van der Hulst was a wealthy Dutch Mennonite merchant and banker, who died childless, leaving a legacy of two million florins to the pursuit of religion, arts and science in his hometown, that led to the formation of Teyler's Museum. This was not the value of his entire estate. He also founded Teylers Hofje in his name, and made important donations to individuals in the Mennonite community.
Willem van Heythuysen, was a Dutch cloth merchant and hofje founder in Haarlem and Weert. He is best known today for his portraits by Frans Hals, though he is remembered locally for his Hofje van Willem Heythuijsen bordering Haarlemmerhout park, which has been in operation for centuries.
Wybrand Hendriks was a Dutch painter, primarily known for his portraits, and the concierge of the Teylers Museum.
The Oval Room in the Teylers Museum was the first part of the museum that was opened in 1784. It could be entered through the garden of the fundatiehuis, the former home of Pieter Teyler van der Hulst. The building has an oval shape built around its centerpiece, a mineralogical cabinet. The Oval Room consists of two floors; the ground floor with its display cabinets and a gallery of books that connects to the Teylers Library. On top of the room, on the roof, the astronomical observatory used to be a landmark that could be seen for miles along the river Spaarne. The gallery and observatory are longer accessible to the public, though the gallery can be seen from the ground floor.
The Weesp City Hall is the former city hall of Weesp, Netherlands. The main body of the municipality, the municipal council, convened in the Raadzaal until 24 March 2022 when Weesp became part of the municipality of Amsterdam. The administrative offices have moved, but the former Vierschaar and Burgerzaal are still used for weddings and other official proceedings. The rest of the building is in use as the local museum of Weesp.
Cornelis van Noorde, was an 18th-century landscape painter and draughtsman from the Northern Netherlands.
Jacob Otten Husly was an 18th-century architect from the Northern Netherlands.
Jan Weissenbruch was a 19th-century Dutch painter.
The Eerste Schilderijenzaal, or Painting Gallery I, is one of two art gallery rooms in Teylers Museum and is the oldest art gallery for contemporary Dutch art in the Netherlands. It was built onto the back of Teylers Oval Room in 1838. It was the young museum's first exhibition space for paintings and could be entered through the Oval Room, which was itself located behind the Fundatiehuis, the former home of Pieter Teyler van der Hulst.
Jan Hendrik Maronier was a Dutch pastor and writer.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
