Groundplan of the Church of Saint John in ’s-Hertogenbosch

1632

Not on view

This drawing is one of only two known architectural plans by the famous Dutch artist Saenredam, best known for his meticulous perspectival oil paintings of churches and church interiors. Numerous preparatory drawings, done at the scene, allowed Saenredam to re-create a specific church interior while working in his studio, sometimes years later. This plan of the Cathedral of Saint John shows an aspect of the artist’s working process—inscribing a pre-drafted plan of the building with detailed measurements from the site. Saenredam’s scrupulous nature comes to the fore in the corrections he made in his inscriptions, indicating where the sketch was misleading and reminding himself to trust the figures rather than the scale of his drawing.

Artwork Details

Title: Groundplan of the Church of Saint John in ’s-Hertogenbosch
Artist: Pieter Jansz. Saenredam (Dutch, Assendelft 1597–1665 Haarlem)
Date: 1632
Medium: Pen and brown ink, yellow, gray and red wash, over lead or graphite
Dimensions: Sheet: 13 7/16 x 20 1/8 in. (34.2 x 51.1 cm)
Classifications: Drawings, Ornament & Architecture
Credit Line: Purchase, Rogers Fund, Paul W. L. Russell, David T. Schiff, Mark Fisch and Rachel Davidson, and Annette de la Renta Gifts, 2012
Object Number: 2012.414
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Pieter Jansz. Saenredam

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Reading the News at the Weavers' Cottage, Adriaen van Ostade Dutch, Pen and brown ink, watercolor, white heightening, over traces of graphite; framing lines by the artist (?) in pen and brown ink and gold — Reading the News at the Weavers' Cottage
Adriaen van Ostade
1673

Cottage among Trees, Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) Dutch, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, on paper washed with brown — Cottage among Trees
Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)
ca. 1650

Dune Landscape with Oak Tree, Jacob van Ruisdael Dutch, Black chalk, brush and gray wash, and gouache; framing lines in pen and brown ink — Dune Landscape with Oak Tree
Jacob van Ruisdael
1650–55

Portrait of a woman as a shepherdess, Crispijn de Passe the Younger Dutch, Metalpoint on prepared parchment (tafelet), inset into a painted mount — Portrait of a woman as a shepherdess
Crispijn de Passe the Younger
1635-40

Scrapbook of Drawings and Prints, Gideon Saint British, Pen and ink, engraving and etching — Scrapbook of Drawings and Prints
Gideon Saint
ca. 1760

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.