The Moving Statues of Seventeenth-Century Amsterdam: Automata, Waxworks, Fountains, Labyrinths

The book explores the role of inns and taverns, known as doolhoven, in the visual, material, intellectual, and cultural history of seventeenth-century Amsterdam. It highlights the innovative displays of moving mechanical figures and waxwork portraits of rulers, showcasing the city as a global center of artistic and technological advancement. The doolhoven exhibits had a powerful and transformative impact on visitors, influencing their attitudes toward Protestant reform.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 236 pages
Publication date: 21 March 2023
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press

Amsterdam's doolhoven were a distinctive type of labyrinth that played a significant role in the city's visual, material, intellectual, and cultural history during the seventeenth century. These licensed public houses not only provided accommodations for guests but also housed remarkable displays of artwork in their gardens and galleries. The primary attractions of the doolhoven were innovative displays of moving mechanical figures (automata) and a renowned set of waxwork portraits of the rulers of Protestant Europe. These exhibits were widely publicized as the most innovative artworks on display in Amsterdam, portraying the city as a global center of artistic and technological advancement.

A captivating journey through the doolhoven pub gardens reveals that these exhibits had a profound and transformative impact on visitors, encouraging them to embrace Protestant reform. The book, meticulously researched and distinctly original, offers a wealth of information about these nearly forgotten public pleasure parks, contextualizing them within popular culture, religious controversies, global trade relations, and intellectual debates of the seventeenth century. It will particularly appeal to scholars in art history and early modern studies.

The doolhoven were a unique and fascinating aspect of seventeenth-century Amsterdam's visual, material, intellectual, and cultural history. These licensed public houses not only provided accommodations for guests but also housed remarkable displays of artwork in their gardens and galleries. The primary attractions of the doolhoven were innovative displays of moving mechanical figures (automata) and a renowned set of waxwork portraits of the rulers of Protestant Europe. These exhibits were widely publicized as the most innovative artworks on display in Amsterdam, portraying the city as a global center of artistic and technological advancement.

A captivating journey through the doolhoven pub gardens reveals that these exhibits had a profound and transformative impact on visitors, encouraging them to embrace Protestant reform. The book, meticulously researched and distinctly original, offers a wealth of information about these nearly forgotten public pleasure parks, contextualizing them within popular culture, religious controversies, global trade relations, and intellectual debates of the seventeenth century. It will particularly appeal to scholars in art history and early modern studies.

Weight: 816g
Dimension: 203 x 254 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780271091600