Interior of the Church of St Bavo in Haarlem

• Interior of the Church of St Bavo in Haarlem
• Interior of the St Bavokerk in Haarlem, Seen from the South Ambulatory, Looking across the Choir to the North Ambulatory and the Large Organ

SK-A-359

• inscription, on the large organ: ‘[LOOFT HEM MET SNARENSPEL] EN[DE] ORGEL PSALM. [CL] / [LEERT EN VERMAENT ELKANDER MET PSALMEN E]NDE [LOF]ZANGEN EN[DE] GEESTELYCKE LIEDEKENS’
• signature and date, on the small organ: ‘P. Saenredam. 1636.’

Saenredam specialized in architectural painting. He studied buildings closely, making detailed drawings of them, which he then reworked into paintings. Here he chose a vantage point from behind an arch, which creates a second framing element. Our gaze is automatically drawn upwards to the old organ, which has a painted scene of the Resurrection of Christ. This is a remnant of the by-then long-abolished Catholic decoration.

painter: Pieter Jansz. Saenredam (signed by artist)

1636-04-15

olieverf op paneel

• height 93.7 cm x width 55.2 cm
• depth 7 cm

purchase 1806

Public domain

...; ? purchased by the museum from the art dealer P.C. Huybrechts, The Hague, 20 June 1803;{Moes/Van Biema 1909, p. 164, no. 270, with an incorrect inv. no.} ? or, fl. 700, to the museum, with _Interior of the St Bavokerk in Haarlem_ by Isaac van Nickelen (SK-A-360; at the time listed as Saenredam), 1806;{Note RMA.} on loan to the Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, 1925-59

To refer to this object, please use the following persistent URL:

https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200107963