Model of the fireworks pavilion in the Hofvijver in honor of the Peace of Aachen (1748)
On October 18, 1748, the Peace of Aachen brought an end to several wars in which the Republic of the United Netherlands had become involved. To celebrate this peace treaty, a fireworks pavilion was erected a year later in the Hofvijver. This paper and plaster model is a tangible reminder of this. It was made by the 'Kunstryke Juffrou Valkenaer (...), famous for her ability to make all kinds of buildings from paper', according to the artist biographer Johan van Gool (1685-1763). This work of art played no part in the construction process of the actual firework theatre. That is why it is not a model but a model. Besides many minor deviations, the main difference with the original is the crowning of the temple: the Dutch virgin was not on a horse but on a cloud.
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According to the inscription above the central gate, M. Valckenaar-Duyvesteyn dedicated her model to Stadtholder William IV. His court architect, Pieter de Swart, played an important role in the creation of the original fireworks pavilion. Painted in bright marble colors and decorated with decorative ornaments, this wooden structure in the Hofvijver was of enormous size: 110 meters long, 35 meters wide and 17 meters high. The front faced the rooms of the Binnenhof, as can be seen in the painting by Jan ten Compe. Stadtholder William IV and the members of the States General watched the spectacle that lasted an hour from the Trêveszaal. After the fireworks, a dinner for the high gentlemen followed. For dessert, the Hague jam maker Pieter de Gelleke had imitated the fireworks pavilion in sugar. In contrast to Miss Valckenaar's model, the sugar theater was lost that same evening.
M. Valckenaar-Duyvesteyn, Model of the fireworks pavilion in the Hofvijver in honor of the Peace of Aachen (1748), 1749
Specifications
- Manufacturer: M. Valckenaar-Duyvesteyn
- Date: 1749
- Object number: 1888-0005-HHI
- Dimensions: 33 x 93 x 41 cm
- Materials: Cardboard, plaster
Literature (Dutch)
- Charles Dumas, Haagse stadsgezichten 1550-1800. Topografische schilderijen van het Haags Historisch Museum (Zwolle 2005) 160-163.
- Jantien Overduin, De Hofvijver. Hart van Den Haag. Groengele reeks (Amsterdam 2012) 49-50.