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PALATIUM workshop at Sintra, 13-14 January 2012

Konrad Ottenheym, Utrecht University

Heemstede Castle, at Houten (10 km south of Utrecht, The Netherlands)

The castle was built c.1645 for Hendrick Pieck and is wife Maria van Winssen, both

belonging to the local nobility. Unlike most of their peers they were Catholics and therefore

they were excluded from political functions. Heemstede was their formal country house on

which their noble status was based. The also had a decent house in the city of Utrecht.

The inventory of Heemstede was made in 1668 after Maria Winssen had died (her husband

had passed away long before).

The inventory is partly published in the essential monography on the castle by

Leo B. Wevers, Heemstede. Architectural analysis of a seventeenth country house in the

province of Utrecht, Delft 1991, pages 202-205.

In this publication some misinterpretations of this inventory have caused a wrong

reconstruction of the original display and functions of the various rooms which makes it a

perfect case study for this workshop (especially because of its compact size although the

problems shown here also occur at reading more complex palace inventories).

Summary of the 1668 Inventory (National Archive, The Hague, nr. 940, fols. 56v-68v).

(see also the 4 scans for the full text and ground plans as published in 1991):

The inventory starts on the attic (Op de Solder ender de Toornkamerkens) and then moves

downwards, first to the upperfloor, the private part of the house which contains:

The White Room (Op de witte kamer)

The Maid’s room (Op de maegde kamer)

The Red Room (op de Roode kamer)

the Green Room (op de Groene kamer)

The chapel (op de kapel)

The room above the grand saloon (op de saelkamer)

Then the staircase (op de trap) down to

the groundfloor, which was the principle floor with:

the main saloon (in de Zael)

a small cabinet (int cabinetken)

the blue room (inde beneden blauwe kamer)

a salet (Opt zalet)

a private writing room (int comptoir) with a cupboard full of bed textiles (in de voorsz kas

nogh bevonden t navolgende Linnen),

the Room of the late Maria Winssen (in de kamer van de overledene)

At this point the inventory goes downstairs to basement with kitchens and cellars (which were

just above water level), with:

The kitchen (inde keuckenkelder)

Backery (inde backkelder)

Winecellar (inde wijnkelder)

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The big cellar (inde groote kelder), probably the room below the main saloon.

A eating space for the staff, a kind of parlour probably (in de eetkelder)

And a buttery with pewter (tinwerck), copper utensils (Koperwerck) and earthenware

(Aerdewerck).

In this workshop I will mainly focus on the interpretation of the descriptions of the

upper floor. Therefore I give only a full translation of the inventory of these rooms:

The White Room (Op de witte kamer)

A bedstead with its knitted hangings and bedspread

A bed* with its head cushion [* = a quilt, KO]

A white blanket

An oak square dressing-table

A small mirror

Six chairs

Six chair cushions with the coat of arms of Van Winssen and Rijnouwen

The Maid’s room (Op de maegde kamer)

A walnut cupboard-bed

A bed* with head cushion and two ear cushions

Two white blankets

The Red Room (op de Roode kamer)

A bedstead with red taffeta/silk hangings and a bedspread of the same fabric

A mattress

Six red velvet chairs and one armchair

A carpet below the bedstead

An oak square table

A red damask table-cover

Three red silk glass** curtains [**=window-pane KO]

Three floor-mats

the Green Room (op de Groene kamer)

A bedstead with green silk with woven motives (‘camelotte’)

A bedspread of the same fabric

A bed* with cushion

A green woollen blanket

A white blanket

A green ‘camelotte’ silk table-cover

A square oak table with a drawer

Two green glass** curtains

Two tabourets/stools with the coat of arms of Van Winssen and Rijnouwen

Two wooden Spanish chairs with mock-velvet bottoms

A green velvet arm chair

Close to the green room a small cupboard with some bottles of wine glasses and beer glasses

The chapel (op de kapel)

A fur table and a foot stool

A hanging tapestry

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A floor carpet

A small hanging tabouret (?)

Four copper chandlers

A crucifix

A missal

A breviary

A chalice

Two glass cruets

A glass dish

A silver host box with the coat of arms of the late lady of the house

A holy water-sprinkler with a silver handle with the coat of arms of Van Winssen

Two striped glass** curtains

Four hangings and their pews, one black, two red and one white

A black chasuble

And a red

And a white

A white altar vestment, three cushions, in black and red and white

A coloured tabard

A white ‘test’ (?)

The room above the grand saloon (op de saelkamer)

An oak cupboard containing (belonging to Lady van Winssen):

Eight ear cushions

Four white blankets

A red blanket

Three ‘bed blankets’ (bedspreads?)

Two pairs of black velvet shoes

Six chair cushions with the coat of arms of Van Wael and Winssen