Purmersteijn Castle - Jan van Kessel from the old master collection

About "Purmersteijn Castle - Jan van Kessel"

About the artwork

Slot Purmersteijn - Jan van Kessel 1664 The castle was built between 1410 and 1413 by Willem Eggert, lord of Purmerend, Purmerland and Ilpendam. The engraving by Frederik de Wit shows Castle Purmersteijn in detail. The castle was built as a square with towers at the corners, according to a building type introduced by the high nobility around 1275. The entrance fortified with two octagonal towers faced south. The main building was situated on the west side. A vegetable garden was inscribed in the courtyard. Eggert attached less importance to the military significance of his castle. He refrained from making the walls four metres thick to withstand cannon shots and chose to make the castle walls only one metre thick. The only description of the interior of the castle is by the 19th-century writer B.A. Plemper van Balen. He described in 1843 a square structure, surrounded by walls, with tall towers at the four corners. The entrance was flanked by the two octagonal towers. A ten-metre-wide moat ran around the castle, over which an access bridge was built. A large gate led to the courtyard, which was paved with cobblestones. This was where verdicts were passed and executions were carried out. To the left of the courtyard, a staircase gave access to the castle. Purmersteijn had few living quarters. The largest hall, also called the marble hall because of its floor, was used as a reception room. The walls were plastered white