Source: Association of Friends of Amsterdam's City Center

An Amsterdam house with a Jewish accent

Despite its harmonious façade, the richness of the patrician house at Nieuwe Herengracht 99 lies mainly inside. The house has a unique layout; because of the view of the Plantage, the hall was not located at the rear, but at the front on the first floor. The building contains numerous interior finishes from different periods, which provide an insight into the history of its residents, at least in broad terms. A rare stucco ceiling from around 1700, attributed to Jacob Vennekool, deserves special attention.

New Herengracht 99 in 1922

The Nieuwe Herengracht is perhaps the least visited part of the canal belt. Its location in the eastern inner city, one of the areas where post-war 'urban renewal' enthusiasts were able to indulge their urge to demolish, is probably the reason for this. The canal is part of the so-called Fourth Extension, the route from the Leidsegracht to the eastern islands, which began in 1662. In the last quarter of the seventeenth century, shortly after the start of this new urban expansion, however, the growth of Amsterdam's population stagnated, so that there was no longer an urgent need for building land. Especially on the east side of the Amstel, areas remained undeveloped. As a result, most of the Nieuwe Herengracht was only built on one side. The opposite side, the Plantage, was designated as a green area.

From the outset, Nieuwe Herengracht was a popular place of residence for wealthy Jews who had been expelled from Spain and Portugal. The plots here were spacious, which was not the case in the densely built-up Jewish quarter. Moreover, the Portuguese Synagogue, the spiritual and educational center of the Sephardim, was within walking distance. In the eighteenth century, Nieuwe Herengracht was regularly referred to as Joode Herengracht (Jewish Herengracht). The builder of the double house at number 99, completed shortly before 1700, Jacob Henriquez de Granada, was also of Sephardic Jewish descent.
De Granada had purchased the land from the heirs of wine merchant and speculator Jean Deutz. When the land was sold in 1683, Deutz had acquired two plots on the Nieuwe Herengracht and two plots on the Rapenburgerstraat behind it. A few years later, the Deutz heirs sold about two-thirds of this undeveloped property at a substantial profit to De Granada and the remaining part to another Jewish buyer. De Granada had a city palace built on the canal and a coach house at Rapenburgerstraat 159, which is now used as a residence.

The vestibule in 1922 with the passage to the back room. At the rear left, the arched entrances to the stairwell can be seen.

Nieuwe Herengracht 99 consists of a wide main house with a narrower section on the right-hand side that was added later in the 18th century, probably at the same time as a substantial extension at the rear. It is said that there was originally an alleyway here. The entrance to the house that De Granada had built is not in the middle, as is usual with wide canal houses, but in the right-hand bay. This meant that there was no central corridor with rooms on either side. This layout made it possible to create a spacious vestibule behind the main entrance, which was accessible via a sidewalk. To the left of this, space was made for a front room, with a spacious staircase behind it that – interrupted by landings – runs from the basement to the second floor.

The showpiece: the hall

The location of the hall is unusual. It is not situated on the bel étage on the garden side, but on the first floor at the front. As can be seen from the façade, this floor is considerably higher than the bel étage, which is by no means modest. The same situation also occurs in other canal houses, including the nearby Nieuwe Herengracht 103. It is possible that both builders opted for this layout because of the lack of buildings on the other side of the canal. From the hall, one had (and still has) a beautiful view of the water and the greenery of the Plantage.

The hall, which largely dates from the time of construction, can without exaggeration be counted among the most impressive interiors in Amsterdam. Together with that of Herengracht 134, the ceiling is one of the earliest stucco ceilings in Amsterdam rooms. However, it is mainly because of its quality and uniqueness that the ceiling finish is exceptional. Its design is attributed to the Amsterdam architect and stone merchant Steven Vennekool. The stucco decorations, consisting of flaming acanthus leaves, arabesques, and plastically modeled putti, bear similarities to the stucco ornaments designed by Vennekool in Middachten Castle (1693-1698) in Gelderland. It is likely that this architect's involvement was not limited to the hall decorations, but that he was also responsible for the design of the De Granada house. As in the façade of Middachten, the cornice of the canal house is interrupted by an arch that frames an alliance coat of arms. Although the hall is still impressive, the wall finish was originally much richer. Commissioned by De Granada, the artist Jan Weenix had created five paintings for this space in 1698. These allegories of the five senses can be seen in photographs taken in 1922, shortly before the sale of the artworks.

Interiors in Louis styles

The hall in 1922 with the ceiling attributed to Steven Vennekool.

Granada was unable to enjoy his house, or hardly at all. He died in 1699. His widow, Esther Belmonte, lived in the house until her death in 1718. The interior decoration was not yet complete at that time. The stucco decorations in the stairwell and vestibule must have been added after her death; their design differs from the ornamentation in the hall. In the vestibule and stairwell, the walls and ceilings are decorated with 'full' and high-quality stucco decorations in the Louis XIV style, with the characteristic shell shapes, acanthus leaves, volutes, and diamond motifs. The finishing of the front room on the bel-etage probably belongs to the same construction campaign. The stucco ceiling has a recessed central section that originally housed a painting by Nicolaas Verkolje. This was still present in 1922 and photographed at the time, but was subsequently removed from the house (and can now be seen at Herengracht 609). The stucco decorations in the hall on the first floor, which is part of the stairwell, probably say something about the client for this phase of construction. Opposite the door to the hall are a knight's helmet and, among other things, cannons, banners, and a halberd. It is conceivable that these decorations were added by Hendrik Gravé, the second owner of the house, who had made a career with the Admiralty. If this hypothesis is correct, the work must have started immediately after the purchase, as Gravé only owned the property for three years. He sold it in 1721 to the Sephardic Jew Isaac Alvares. Thus, Jewish and non-Jewish owners alternated throughout the history of the house.

The room in 1922 with the paintings that Jan Weenix created for this space. (photos: collection E. van Kreveld)

In the mid-18th century, the house was occupied by Jewish merchant and publicist Isaac de Pinto, a descendant of a well-known Amsterdam family. He probably had the house extended with the rear addition, which contains two garden rooms on the bel-etage with stucco ceilings in the Louis XV style that was popular at the time. The ceiling in the front room, with a central oval framed by an elegant double molding, is of particular art-historical interest. The central section depicts navigational instruments, while the corner pieces and the medallion opposite the flue feature depictions of musical instruments.
For this room, which served as a library at the time, De Pinto commissioned the artist Jacob de Wit to paint a picture in 1754, which is now part of the Amsterdam Museum's collection. The piece, an allegory of history, was placed between the two doors leading to the rear garden room. At the center is the personification of Historia, who has a scroll at her disposal to record history. She is dictated to by Minerva, goddess of Wisdom, while the personification of Truth looks on. Three putti assist Historia in her research. A portrait medallion of the Egyptian king Ptolemy II Philadelphus, who was thought to have had the Torah translated into Greek, gives the depiction a specifically Jewish connotation.

Modifications by P.J.H. Cuypers

From 1871 to 1922, the Roman Catholic politician Frederic Joseph Maria Anton Reekers was the owner and occupant of the house. Around 1873, he commissioned the architect Pierre Cuypers to make some changes to the hall. Reekers' choice of this architect was probably determined not only by his design skills, but also by the fact that he was Catholic. Cuypers, an admirer of medieval architecture and at that time mainly active and known as a church builder, did not close his eyes to other forms of art. As with the interiors of Amerongen Castle from 1674-1678, which he would restore together with his son Joseph between 1899 and 1907, Cuypers respected the classicist design of the hall. The stucco ceiling and walls, including the paintings by Weenix, were retained. However, the wall paneling, doors, and ceiling were given a new color scheme. Cuypers transformed the balcony into a less conspicuous bay window. He designed a red marble mantelpiece for the room, richly decorated with mainly figurative ornaments—including two herms—made of bronze. The architect also had a chandelier installed, which has since been replaced by another one that also dates from the late nineteenth century.

After Reekers' death in 1922, the contents of the house were auctioned off, including the paintings in the hall. The series of photographs, which has already been mentioned a few times, was taken shortly before the sale of the house (which took place in the same year). The five paintings by Weenix were then purchased by the wealthy American William Randolph Hearst. The largest painting is now kept in the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. Two other paintings, which Hearst presumably sold to settle an outstanding hotel bill, have since been housed in the Carlyle Hotel in New York. Another painting is part of the Allen Memorial Art Museum in Oberlin, Ohio. The current whereabouts of the fifth painting are unknown.

As with many canal houses, the wealth of Nieuwe Herengracht 99 lies mainly inside. Despite the loss of the aforementioned paintings, the building is one of the most important residential monuments in Amsterdam. The expressions of artistic taste by successive, often Jewish owners also give the building an exceptional historical depth.

Coert Peter Krabbe

This article is based on the author's description of the building (BMA, May 27, 2013). For the attribution of the house and hall to Vennekool: Pieter Vlaardingerbroek, 'De wereld aan de gracht. Architectuur en interieur (1600-1800)', in: P. Vlaardingerbroek (ed.), De wereld aan de Amsterdamse grachten, Amsterdam 2013, pp. 77-81.
About De Pinto and Jacob de Wit: R.J.A. te Rijdt, 'Een ontwerp voor een zaalstuk door Jacob de Wit' in: Leids Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek 10 (1995), pp. 241-247. The history of the building's occupants was researched by Taco Tichelaar: www.tacotichelaar.nl/wordpress/index.php/huisonderzoeken/nieuwe-herengracht-99

Thanks to Emile van Kreveld, David Derksen, Jos Smit, and Pieter Vlaardingerbroek for reviewing the text. The latter was also able to identify and trace the painting by Verkolje.

(From: Binnenstad 261, Nov./Dec. 2013)