Steven van Lamsweerde (after Johannes van Wijckersloot): Pulling the Amersfoortse boulder (1661)

 

(Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

The esquire Everhard Meyster discovered in 1661 a 7,157 kg boulder on the Leusderheide and made a bet with his friends that he could round up enough people to drag the rock inside the city walls. Aided by lots of beer and pretzels, a group of 400 men managed to complete the job. As the whole affair was actually a joke by the esquire, neighboring towns soon made fun of the citizens of Amersfoort, giving them the nickname 'keistad ('rock town'). The large boulder can still be seen in Amersfoort (it is situated on the Arnhemsestraat). the print shows people pulling the stone with mythological people like Hercules, Ceres, Cupid, and Bacchus walking alongside them. Engraving from 1661.