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Unrecorded original issue of a series of 16 views of the Honselaarsdijk palace, coloured by hand

BLOOTELING, Abraham.
Series of 16 views of Honselaarsdijk.

With 16 fine numbered engraved views (ca. 13 x 16 cm), signed by Abraham Blooteling, tipped in on blank leaves (17 x 23 cm), <B><I>all hand coloured</I></B>.

(Amsterdam, ca. 1683). Oblong 8vo. Modern half vellum, boards pasted with paper decorated with small flowers. With 16 fine numbered engraved views (ca. 13 x 16 cm), signed by Abraham Blooteling, tipped in on blank leaves (17 x 23 cm), all hand coloured. 16 lvs. with engravings.

Extraordinary rare and very fine print-series of the Honselaarsdijk palace, pleasure house and gardens at Honselersdijk (near Naaldwijk and not far from The Hague), with the name of the engraver, number, the words 'Cum privilegio' and the Dutch titles engraved underneath.
The monumental palace of Honselaarsdijk was built between 1621 and 1647 on the orders of the stadholder Frederik Hendrik (1584-1647), who - together with his wife Amalia van Solms, and in the context of their ambition to enhance the position and power of the House of the Dutch stadholder, possibly to a Royal status - was involved in a project to built a number of new prestigeous castles and manor houses in, and around The Hague Huis Ten Bosch, Rijswijk and Honselaarsdijk), as well in the country (Soestdijk, Het Loo, Dieren, etc.).
Frederik Hendrik financed the building of Honselaarsdijk mainly with the money coming from the 'Silverfleet' conquested from the Spaniards by Piet Hein in 1629. A number of important architects were involved with the Honselaarsdijk-project, among others the famous Jacob van Campen and Pieter Post. French garden architects were hired for designing the gardens. William III further embellished the gardens under the direction of the architect Jacob Roman (1640-1716). As early as 1671 William III was personally involved with the rebuilding of the water supply system at Honselaarsdijk, as evidenced by a letter of Christiaan Huygens to his brother Lodewijk. The palace later became known as 'Little Versailles'. After the death if William III in 1702 the castle was neglected and Honselaarsdijk ultimately was demolished in 1815. All that still remains is a part of the garden and parts of the coach-houses.

Abraham Blooteling (Amsterdam 1640-1690), a pupil of Cornelis Van Dalen II (1636-1664), was a Dutch engraver (mainly of portraits), draughtsman and print seller. His dated prints begin to appear in 1665, and they include, besides portraits, biblical, mythological and genre subjects, as well as six views of Amsterdam after Jacob van Ruisdael, and two of the Jewish burial-ground in Ouderkerk (1670, also after van Ruisdael). From 1672-78 he worked in London with Gerard Valck. His major contribution was in the development of the new technique of mezzotint, specifically, the invention of the rocker, the tool used in the technique. In England the technique was adopted with such success that it later became known as the 'English Manner'. Blooteling was again in Amsterdam by September 1678, when he acted as godfather to his nephew Abraham Valck, but he kept up his contacts with London.
Between 1681 and 1685 his presence in The Hague is recorded. During these years he has engraved a major view of Honselaarsdijk (385 x 482 mm) after the design by Abraham Begheyn, alias Bega (1637-1697). It is likely that he engraved our 16 views in the same year, probably also after the drawings by Abraham Bega, possibly meant to mount them together with the major view.
No copy, however, of this 'framed' bird's eye view has been preserved, and these 16 smaller views were until now only known as they were re-issued and signed by Blootelings pupil, brother-in-law and business partner Gerard Valck (Amsterdam 1651/2-1726) in his: Veues et perspectives de Loo, Honslardyck et Soestdyck, chasteau & maison de plaisance du Roy de la Grande Bretagne (Amsterdam, Gerard Valck, 1695). Valck not only signed the view with his own name, he also altered the sequence in the more logical order: his nr. 1 = nr. 14; 2 = 15, 3 = 13, 4 = 16, 5 = 12, 6 = 10, 7 = 1, 8 = 4. 9 = 11. 10 = 3, 11 = 7. 1`2 = 6, 1`3 = 2, 14 = 5, 15 =8, and 16 = 9.
In his later years Blooteling concentrated on the business side of his activities, particularly the publication and sale of prints and maps. However, he still found time to engrave 265 plates for Agostino Lionardo's Gemmae et sculpturae antiquae (Amsterdam, 1685).

List of plates:
1: Het Speel-Huys met de Prieelen (The play-house with the garden houses).
2: Volliere of Vogelvlugt (Aviary)
3: Een van de Kleyne Fonteyne (One of the small fountains).
4: De groote Fonteijn (The large fountain).
5: t' Boswachters Huijs (The foresters house)
6: De groote Wandeling voor het Casteel (The extensive walk in front of the castle)
7: Faijsanterie of Faisanthokken (Pheasantry or phaesant cages).
8: De Wegh van Wateringe (The road from Wateringen).
9: De Wegh van Naeldwyck (The road from Naaldwijk).
10: De Galderie inde Thuyn (The gallery in the garden).
11: Orangerie of Orangie Stove (Orangery).
12: Galderije binnen het Casteel (Gallery inside the castle).
13: Het Casteel op de syde (The castle from the side).
14: Het Casteel van Vooren (The castle from the front).
15: Het Casteel aen de syde van de Thuyn (The castle from the side of the garden).
16: Het inkome vant Casteel van Losduyne (The entrance of the castle from Loosduinen).

Fine copy.- (Some views cut short at margins).

Thieme-Becker IV, pp. 139-40; Hunt, J.D. & E. Jong (eds)., The Anglo-Dutch garden in the age of William and Mary/ De Gouden Eeuw van de Hollandse tuinkunst, pp. 136-7; cf. Hollstein II, p. 216, no. 117 (bird's eye view of Honselaarsdijk by Blooteling after A. Bega dated 1683) & XXI, p. 267, nos. 95-16 (same print-series by G. Valck dated 1695); not in Springer.

Related Subjects: 17th Century Architecture Engravings Gardens Print Series

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