Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
heroism, determination, and mercy;
they represent the crucifixion of St.
Andrew, the patron saint of fisher-
men. he crown dates to 1489, when
Maximilian I (the Low Countries'
first Habsburg ruler and later Holy
Roman Emperor) paid off a big loan
from city bankers and, as thanks for
the cash, gave the city permission to
use his prestigious trademark, the
Habsburg crown, atop its shield.
The relief above the door (see photo),
dated 1581, shows boys around a
dove, reminding all who pass that this was an orphanage and
asking for charity.
Go inside. The pleasant David & Goliath café (with a shady
courtyard) is watched over by a giant statue of Goliath and a knee-
high David (from 1650). In the courtyard are the old lockers for
the orphans' uniforms, and a pay toilet.
•Thecourtyardleadstoanothercourtyardwiththebestcityhistory
museum in town, the
J
AmsterdamHistoryMuseum(seepage161).
Between the two courtyards (on the left) is a free, glassed-in passageway
lined with paintings, called the...
Civic Guard Gallery (Schuttersgalerij)
In these group portraits from Amsterdam's Golden Age (early
1600s), look into the eyes of the frank, dignified men (and some
women) with ruffs and lace collars, who made Amsterdam the
most prosperous city in Europe,
sending trading ships to distant
colonies and pocketing interest
from loans. The weapons they
carry are mostly symbolic, since
these “Civic Guards,” who once
protected the town (f ighting
the Spanish), had become more
like fraternal organizations of
business bigwigs.
Many paintings look the
same in this highly stylized genre. Military companies often sit
in two rows. Someone holds the company flag. Rank is indicated
by the weapons they hold: Captains wield pikes (axe-like weapons
topped with spearhead-shaped tips); lieutenants hold partisans
(pikes with sword-like tips); and privates wield hatchet-headed
halberds or muskets. Later group portraits showed “captains” of
industry going about their work, dressed in suits, along with the
