Artikelen

• Belgisch marmer in de Zuidelijke en Noordelijke Nederlanden (1500-1700)

  In the past Belgian (non-metamorphic) marble from the Maas region was widely applied and exported to far across the borders. It concerns black, red and grey variants originating from the Carboniferous and Devonian periods. Its transport was highly dependent on waterways. Consequently, the river Maas played an important part in the export to the north.

  The exploitation of black coal limestone, black marble, already took place in the early thirteenth century. In the fourteenth century the material was exported to Paris because of its purity and fine structure. Although local examples go back further in time, the trade and application of red marble did not really start until after 1500, and was especially used in the Southern Netherlands.

  Traders such as Nonon, Misson, Van Neurenberg and Cornelis Floris saw to a wider distribution and application of the material. The town hall of Antwerp and various memorial sculptures of the last named artist are examples of this. In spite of the large detour, the material was usually transported by way of Dordrecht. In the Northern Netherlands the application of coloured marble started later than that of black marble, which is notably found in early Renaissance sepulchral monuments.

  It was not until the seventeenth century that the types of marble referred to were widely applied, frequently in combination with Carrara marble, which in the north, from the early seventeenth century onwards, started to supersede English alabaster. The expensive material is to be found in an ecclesiastical context as well as in a government, public and court context.

  The traders and contractors responsible for its supply formed a close group of stone buyers, who were frequently related. Examples of this are the Van Neurenberg, Van Delft and De Keyser families. The marble traders did not concentrate exclusively on the trade in marble. It is known that the Van Neurenberg family made a lot of supplies of Namur stone and marl, but also of coal and lime.

  Their activities were aimed at luxury products, memorial sculptures and other church furniture, as well as wall cladding, quay walls, locks and sluices and pavements. By way of Amsterdam they and other traders supplied considerable consignments of marble for the East-Sea region and Scandinavia.

  In the past Belgian (non-metamorphic) marble from the Maas region was widely applied and exported to far across the borders. It concerns black, red and grey variants originating from the Carboniferous and Devonian periods. Its transport was highly dependent on waterways. Consequently, the river Maas played an important part in the export to the north.

  The exploitation of black coal limestone, black marble, already took place in the early thirteenth century. In the fourteenth century the material was exported to Paris because of its purity and fine structure. Although local examples go back further in time, the trade and application of red marble did not really start until after 1500, and was especially used in the Southern Netherlands.

  Traders such as Nonon, Misson, Van Neurenberg and Cornelis Floris saw to a wider distribution and application of the material. The town hall of Antwerp and various memorial sculptures of the last named artist are examples of this....

  In the past Belgian (non-metamorphic) marble from the Maas region was widely applied and exported to far across the borders. It concerns black, red and grey variants originating from the Carboniferous and Devonian periods. Its transport was highly dependent on waterways. Consequently, the...

  Gabri van Tussenbroek

  49-71

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• Jelis Knijff en Jelis Jelissen, kistenmaker in Zwolle en beeldsnijder in Kampen

  A problem is that the limited accessibility of the rich archives in Zwolle and Kampen as yet stands in the way of a reconstruction of the families of Jelis Knijff and Jelis Jelissen. It cannot even be excluded that it concerns a father and son here. Cabinetmaker Jelis Knijff became a citizen of Zwolle in 1531 and, just as Colijn de Nole, got involved in a fight with mr. Vrerick in 1543.

  This mr. Vrerick worked at the benches for the new council chamber in Kampen, while Colijn de Nole was making the famous fireplace in his Utrecht workshop. Mr. Vrerick experienced the presence of competitor Jelis Knijff from Zwolle as a threat, which resulted in a row in the Wine Cellar of Kampen.

  Besides Jelis Knijff, other cabinetmakers known to have lived in Zwolle in approximately the same period are Albert and Berent Knijff. Furthermore, around 1550 the names of Willem, Anna and Berthe Knijff are mentioned in the Zwolle card system. In a cartulary we read that Jelis Knijff owned a house in the Koestraat in Zwolle at the side of the town wall and in another source that he was still alive in 1579.

  The only thing we know about Jelis Jelissen is that he was guild master and hence a citizen of Kampen and that his death was memorised there in 1573. Mr. Jelis Jelissen supplied the stone pillars of a rack for the town hall in Zwolle and he is also said to have designed the never executed fireplace for the council chamber of the town hall in Zwolle. A vague signature of a double capital J appears to confirm this new attribution.

  Just as Colijn de Nole, Arnt van Tricht and later Claesz Jellesz., Jelis Jelissen had a thorough command of both carving sculptures in wood and hewing stone. Jelis is said to have been a wilful artist who was also a skilled draughtsman. A comparable versatility brought Colijn de Nole in conflict with the Utrecht guild of bricklayers and masons in 1532, but he refused to take on this guild as well. However, in 1557 Jelis Jelissen bowed for the threat of fines, became a member and rose to be guild master in both organisations.

  A problem is that the limited accessibility of the rich archives in Zwolle and Kampen as yet stands in the way of a reconstruction of the families of Jelis Knijff and Jelis Jelissen. It cannot even be excluded that it concerns a father and son here. Cabinetmaker Jelis Knijff became a citizen of Zwolle in 1531 and, just as Colijn de Nole, got involved in a fight with mr. Vrerick in 1543.

  This mr. Vrerick worked at the benches for the new council chamber in Kampen, while Colijn de Nole was making the famous fireplace in his Utrecht workshop. Mr. Vrerick experienced the presence of competitor Jelis Knijff from Zwolle as a threat, which resulted in a row in the Wine Cellar of Kampen.

  Besides Jelis Knijff, other cabinetmakers known to have lived in Zwolle in approximately the same period are Albert and Berent Knijff. Furthermore, around 1550 the names of Willem, Anna and Berthe Knijff are mentioned in the Zwolle card system. In a cartulary we read that Jelis Knijff...

  A problem is that the limited accessibility of the rich archives in Zwolle and Kampen as yet stands in the way of a reconstruction of the families of Jelis Knijff and Jelis Jelissen. It cannot even be excluded that it concerns a father and son here. Cabinetmaker Jelis Knijff became a citizen...

  Dirk Jan de Vries

  72-82

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