jump to navigation

Huis ten Bosch: The elegant ‘House in the Wood’ of the Dutch Royal Family May 4, 2008

Posted by dodo in : England, Nassau, Netherlands , trackback

The seventeenth century represents one of the most interesting periods in the architectural development of the northern Netherlands. The Dutch had challenged the Spaniards for their freedom, but it was not until the reign of Frederik Hendrik, a son of Prince William of Orange, that Holland attained political and cultural unity.

The Princes of Orange had at first been modest in their residential requirements. Frederik Hendrik, however, after assuming the Stadholdership in 1625, ushered in a new period and began his architectural activities by rebuilding the old castle at Honselaarsdijk, soon to be followed by the Huis ter Nieuburch at Rijswijk and the wings of het Oude Hof (the Old Court) in the Noordeinde at the Hague. Finally, the Oranjesael or Huis ten Bosch (` the House in the Wood’) was planned by Pieter Post at the wish of Princess Amalia van Solms-Braunfels. Countess van Solms, a maid-of-honour at the court of Frederik V of the Palatinate, had married Frederik Hendrik of Orange in 1625.

Travel GuidebookIt was in May 1645 that the Directorate of Finance of the County of Holland issued a decree by which a piece of land of about fifty acres on the north-east side of the Hague was ceded to Princess Amalia van Solms. It is from the correspondence of the Prince’s secretary, Constantyn Huygens, that a good deal is known of the building operations. Devised as a summer residence or country pleasure-house, the building was turned by Princess Amalia into a mausoleum to the memory of her husband, who died in 1647, just before the palace was completed.

The architect was Pieter Post, but the painter-architect Jacob van Campen was put in charge of the final plans. The house is symmetrically planned in the manner of a Palladian villa, and its main feature is a central hall which takes up most of its height. In consultation with Huygens and Count Johan Maurits of Nassau, a number of painters were invited to assist in the decoration of the interior. Huygens suggested that the house should be called ‘ de Oranjesael ‘, the Hall of the House of Orange, and it was he who devised its symbolic scheme to record the prince’s glory.

The engravings of Pieter Post (1655) and Jan van der Groen (1668) show the delicate structure to advantage. The château was modest in size and was flanked on both sides by additional buildings. The garden, designed by Post, was composed of a parterre of small plots devised along rigid symmetrical lines and acted as a setting for the house. From groene kabinetten, or gazebos, the visitor could overlook the garden with its royal emblems embedded in the broderies de Parterres. Jan van der Heyden (16371712) drew a charming picture of the ensemble, showing the garden side of the house. The two square out-houses are just visible beyond the trees, and obelisks and urns on wooden posts divide the parterres from the kitchen garden. Statues, raised high on pedestals, face each other in straight lines near the house.

Princess Amalia died in 1675, and it was her daughter, Princess Albertine Agnes, who relinquished the Orange Hall to her nephew Prince William III, the future King-Stadholder. The new owner celebrated the occasion by a ball, and the state reception was officially recorded by Daniel Marot, the Huguenot artist and craftsman, who accompanied Prince William III to England as his chief architect. Commissioned by Prince William IV to enlarge the Orange Hall on the occasion of his marriage to Princess Anne of England, Marot added two wings. His task can have been far from easy. The main building dominates. The front facade has an enlarged stoep, or flight of steps, and projects outwards, the whole effect emphasized by the contrasting use of natural stone and brick. At the same time the silhouette of the octagonal dome and lantern was changed. On the garden side, sash-windows open on to a balcony, and a flight of steps links the house with the garden. Indoors little remains of Marot’s work, but his taste and sense of proportion can still be recognised in the White Dining-room. Four grisailles by Jacob de Witt (done between 1738 and 1748, the fourth added much later) and a Waterford crystal chandelier complement the famous domed ceiling, which Marot executed towards the end of his life.

More about: Huis ten Bosch: The elegant ‘House in the Wood’ of the Dutch Royal Family

Comments»

1. Planning Site - July 8, 2008

Who was it that said the more cash money you have, the more cash money problems you have Well, whoever that … … Planning Site

2. Hotels Madrid - July 8, 2008

Jack Black assortment is guaranteed to delight and indulge every guy on your list, from family and friends to clients, business associates, even your trainer or masseuse. … Hotels Madrid

3. Three Anchor Bay Hotels - July 9, 2008

Enjoying panoramic sea views, Villa Siesta bed and breakfast is modern and stylishly furnished, with every facility and comfort. … Three Anchor Bay Hotels

4. Plant Dutch Gardens - July 9, 2008

We also do not send email or regular US Mail correspondence to any one under the age of 13 without their parent's consent. … Plant Dutch Gardens


Alexa CounterFeedBurner Counter