Jan van der Heyden & Adriaen van de Velde: The Dam and Damrak in Amsterdam (1663)

(Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, UK)

A nice painting by the Dutch artist and inventor Jan van der Heyden (1637-1712) and Adriaen van de Velde (1636-1672). This painting is a townscape and shows a part of the Damsquare in Amsterdam. Shown is the part of the Damsquare with the so-called 'Middendam' ('Middle dam') which is the connection between the Damrak (the river on the left) and the Rokin (the river on the right, not visible). The building in the center was called 'Onder 't Zeil' ('Beneath the sail' because of the large sail which hung alongside the building). On ground level of this building was the (sea)fishmarket while the upper floors were appartments and a tavern ('De Zeven Provinciën' - 'the Seven Provinces'). The churchtower on the left is the Old Church (Oude Kerk). Painting from 1663.