Bespectacled Arch on the Oudezijds Achterburgwal Painting

This Archway sits on the Achterburgwal entrance of the covered alleyway known as the Oudemanhuispoort, the literal English translation being ‘Old Man’s House Gate’. The alleyway leads to a complex of former Alms-houses now part of the University of Amsterdam. This site dates back to the Middle Ages when it was occupied by a convent that later become a care home and hospital after the reformation. This gate was added in the late 1700s when the covered alley was fitted with display cabinets to sell small items such as jewels, precious metals, and books, hence the spectacles in the crest. The passageway remains a market place for used and antique books to this day. It is, however, the gate header that is of most interest to me. This beautiful doorway does not just tell you the location of the alley’s entrance, it puts on a big hat with a feather in it, throws back a billowing cape and in booming thespian tones, it announces it to the world. This archway transforms the mundane act of entering the passage into a theatrical event, an experience that has been replicated by millions of players over the centuries. Van Gogh, amongst countless other great artists and thinkers, was known to frequent this alley when it was part of the Royal College of Art. So, to what great events, through these stone spectacles, has this archway borne witness? Under its gaze what knowledge has been passed down and built upon? What encounters, conversations and eureka moments have taken place here? It is objects like this arch that give us cause us to imagine such things and in so doing make real these connections across time.

Painting:Oil on Canvas

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:48 W x 24 H x 1 D in

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