‘De droechste waegescotten, die ghij weet te becomen’: De gedifferentieerde houtmarkt voor 1800 en de wisselwerking tussen aanbod, vraag en toepassing

Wainscoting was just one of the many products for sale on the Dutch timber market. A variety of sources would suggest that this was not primarily a case of thin, quartersawn oak planks around one centimetre thick, but much thicker, quarter-split, semi-finished products that were only later sawn into much thinner planks. A major reason for quarter sawing or splitting of logs was to mitigate warping. Finishings in particular required timber with a minimal tendency to split or bow and so wainscoting was often used for such work. There are several views on the etymology of the word ‘wainscot’. Based on the traded rather than the finished product, the suggestion that what we have here is a combination of ‘scot’ in the sense of panel with the prefix ‘wain’ (from ‘wane’), the side of the wood that still contains sapwood, merits further investigation. The wainscot timber exported from the regions of origin was, as far as can be ascertained from the sources, hardly ever ready for use. It generally took the form of split timber some 14 feet in length. The thickness could vary considerably, as is also clear from Dutch sources that talk of wainscoting up to several inches thick. The European trade in wainscoting was already huge by the fourteenth century. The greater part of this was transported to the province of Holland via the North Sea. Considerably smaller was the proportion of wainscoting rafted down the big rivers to the west. This trade doesn’t seem to have appeared until around the middle of the seventeenth century, when the Baltic trade had passed its peak. It is not yet possible to quantify the available data. But when harbours in the Baltic could no longer meet the demand from Holland, the trade in this particular product shifted to Bremen, to the Elbe and Rhine regions. Probably owing to the greater profitability, the export of wainscoting to England remained at a high level into the eighteenth century, while the prices paid at the Zaan timber auctions in the second half of the seventeenth century more than doubled. A possible partial explanation for the decline in the use of wainscoting in Dutch interiors is that the timber traders preferred to export their products to other markets where they could command a higher price. It would be interesting to conduct similar research for knee timber, floorboards, beams and other products. By considering the various timber elements of the past primarily as trading products rather than as finished products attuned to local conditions, it is possible to explain why timbers from different source areas are sometimes encountered within a single historical structural context, and how the use of such timbers was affected not only by changing tastes and fashions, but also by the supply stream from distant forests

Cornelis Ryckwaert (ca. 1635-†1693), bouwmeester in Brandenburg: Export van Nederlandse architectuur in de zeventiende eeuw?

Cornelis Ryckwaert is one of the few master builders who were active in Brandenburg in the seventeenth century and of whom more is known than just a name or a place of residence. This makes him especially suitable for a study of the export of Dutch influences in the architecture of Brandenburg. An analysis of his activities should reveal the nature of any such influence, making for a more nuanced assessment of Ryckwaert’s work and contributing to the debate about what the concept of influence actually entails. This article begins with his origins and his arrival in Brandenburg in the retinue of Johan Maurits van Nassau-Siegen, and then moves on to discuss several of his building projects. There are indications that Ryckwaert was born in Leiden. From 1662 he was involved in the reconstruction of the Johannieter castle in Sonnenburg (present-day Słonsk). Once work on the castle was finished, Ryckwaert was appointed master of Electoral fortifications in Küstrin/Kostrzyn, where he lived until his death in 1693. From this base he was involved in other building projects, chiefly for the Electors of Brandenburg and of Sachsen-Anhalt. In Brandenburg his works included the castle in Schwedt, the Junkerhaus in Frankfurt an der Oder and smaller estates owned by minor nobility, such as Groß Rietz and Hohenfinow. In Sachsen-Anhalt he worked on the castle in Coswig, the castle and Lutheran church in Zerbst, and the Oranienbaum castle. He traded in wood and built a shipping bridge in Dessau where he also worked on other projects. In the literature Cornelis Ryckwaert is regarded as an example of a travelling architect who introduced Dutch influences in Brandenburg. However, an analysis of his activities failed to uncover any persuasive evidence that he was in fact active as an architectural designer. Moreover, he was not appointed as ‘architect’, but as ‘master builder’. The conclusion must therefore be that Ryckwaert’s activities were of a civil engineering nature and that he cannot be regarded as an architectural designer. Ryckwaert’s influence on the building industry in Brandenburg should consequently be sought in the specific civil engineering expertise he possessed and that was needed in Brandenburg. His close ties with the Electoral court and with members of the minor nobility who usually held administrative offices, meant that Ryckwaert’s know-how was employed in many different places. Based on the written sources, the nature of Ryckwaert’s influence on construction in Brandenburg in the seventeenth century is more likely to be found in his activities as a fortification engineer. Very little remains of the work of Cornelis Ryckwaert, or of related source material. Only the Junkerhaus in Frankfurt an der Oder, and more especially Oranienbaum castle, are still in a reasonably authentic condition

‘De droechste waegescotten, die ghij weet te becomen’: De gedifferentieerde houtmarkt voor 1800 en de wisselwerking tussen aanbod, vraag en toepassing

Wainscoting was just one of the many products for sale on the Dutch timber market. A variety of sources would suggest that this was not primarily a case of thin, quartersawn oak planks around one centimetre thick, but much thicker, quarter-split, semi-finished products that were only later sawn into much thinner planks. A major reason for quarter sawing or splitting of logs was to mitigate warping. Finishings in particular required timber with a minimal tendency to split or bow and so wainscoting was often used for such work. There are several views on the etymology of the word ‘wainscot’. Based on the traded rather than the finished product, the suggestion that what we have here is a combination of ‘scot’ in the sense of panel with the prefix ‘wain’ (from ‘wane’), the side of the wood that still contains sapwood, merits further investigation. The wainscot timber exported from the regions of origin was, as far as can be ascertained from the sources, hardly ever ready for use. It generally took the form of split timber some 14 feet in length. The thickness could vary considerably, as is also clear from Dutch sources that talk of wainscoting up to several inches thick. The European trade in wainscoting was already huge by the fourteenth century. The greater part of this was transported to the province of Holland via the North Sea. Considerably smaller was the proportion of wainscoting rafted down the big rivers to the west. This trade doesn’t seem to have appeared until around the middle of the seventeenth century, when the Baltic trade had passed its peak. It is not yet possible to quantify the available data. But when harbours in the Baltic could no longer meet the demand from Holland, the trade in this particular product shifted to Bremen, to the Elbe and Rhine regions. Probably owing to the greater profitability, the export of wainscoting to England remained at a high level into the eighteenth century, while the prices paid at the Zaan timber auctions in the second half of the seventeenth century more than doubled. A possible partial explanation for the decline in the use of wainscoting in Dutch interiors is that the timber traders preferred to export their products to other markets where they could command a higher price. It would be interesting to conduct similar research for knee timber, floorboards, beams and other products. By considering the various timber elements of the past primarily as trading products rather than as finished products attuned to local conditions, it is possible to explain why timbers from different source areas are sometimes encountered within a single historical structural context, and how the use of such timbers was affected not only by changing tastes and fashions, but also by the supply stream from distant forests

De versterkte stad Zaltbommel. 900 jaar beschermd door wallen en muren

Review of a book authored by Hein Hundertmark, Karel Emmens, Ester Vink and Marjan Witteveen.Boekbespreking van een boek geschreen door Hein Hundertmark, Karel Emmens, Ester Vink en Marjan Witteveen

Michiel Matthijsz Smids (Rotterdam 1626-Berlijn 1692). Keurvorstelijk bouwmeester in Brandenburg

Michiel Matthijsz Smids (1626-1692) is to be considered as one of the most important building contractors in Brandenburg in the 17th century. As one of many, he left his home country shortly after the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) and was active in the redevelopment of Brandenburg. From the year 1652 onward, he played an important role in ship- mill- and lock building as well as wood trading. Beside of that, he was appointed as a courtly building master. In this position he led the works on many building projects, which were initiated by the elector of Brandenburg. Still, he was not active as an architect. It was Johann Gregor Memhardt who was the leading personality to provide with architectural designs, as well as the planning of the Berlin fortification and other projects. Smids cooperated very closely with Memhardt as executer of his plans. Examples of such projects were the realisation of the palace of Oranienburg, along with its garden, the enlargement of the church and an orphanage. He was responsible for the digging of the Müllrose channel, that connected the Elbe with the Oder and for the building of locks and bridges. He built a bridge in Köpenick, several water- and windmills and founded a cannonball factory in the vicinity of Zehdenick. In Potsdam Smids was responsible for the enlargement of the palace and the building of a greenery, stables and dwelling houses. In Berlin his activities were comparable to that. He rebuilt the tower of St. Maries church, he rebuilt the electoral stables, was active in the enlargement of the town and had many tasks in the enlargement of the palace. He also built a greenhouse in Berlin and started the construction works of a new library. The building of dwelling houses took place in close cooperation with Johann Arnold Nering, who had taken over Memhardts place as leading architect of his time. Minor building projects were to be found in the town of Schwedt, were Smids took part in the rebuilding of the town after a great fire in 1681, in Frankfurt/Oder, Caputh, Schenkendorf and other places. In his long carreer, Smids was involved in many projects, in which Dutch influences can be traced. As a central figure in a broader network of building commissioners, architects and craftsmen, Smids was of major importance in the redevelopment of Brandenburg. The fact that he was able to pre-finance huge building projects, that he managed to build up a wood trading activity and that he was appointed as electoral building master, enabled him to gather an enormous fortune. The continuity and diversity of his activities made it possible to follow him through the years, although hardly any of the projects that he was involved in, is still existing today