Taking names, talking numbers

In 1619 Guillelmo Bartolotti (1560-1643) had a city palace built in the curve of the Herengracht at number 170-172. Bartolotti was actually born Willem van den Heuvel. He inherited the property from his Italian childless uncle on the condition that he would take the name ‘Bartolotti’. 

The international trade house Bartolotti was representative of Amsterdam’s economic expansion in the early 17th century. It focused its activities primarily on Italy and the Baltic Sea region, and Bartolotti traded in just about everything: wheat, rye, silk, beans, Mexican hides, Austrian steel, Brazilian wood, oil, salt and artillery. In 1631, three years before his death, Willem’s estate was estimated at 400,000 guilders according to tax officials, making him Amsterdam’s second wealthiest resident.

"How to apply the mathematical principles of classical architecture to the traditional form of a Dutch house?"

Hendrick de Keyser designed the house. The question many classically trained architect faced was how to apply the mathematical principles of classical architecture, such as that of a Greek temple, to the traditional form of a Dutch house, which was narrow, high and had a pointed roof. The width of Bartolotti’s house provided De Keyser with the opportunity to design according to the rules of art. The façade is made of brick but its structure is perfectly geometric as it is divided into squares and circles. The rich decorations of masks, bands, blocks, capitals, vases, claws and balusters fit on a mathematical grid. Bartolotti’s message was clear: the illustrious civilisation of ancient Italy was reborn in the north with its name and home. 

_{Photo: Jan van der Heyden, Amsterdam city view with the Bartolotti house on the left, c. 1670 (Collection Rijksmuseum Amsterdam)}

This story origins in Edition #7 for which art historian Koen Kleijn went in search of ten remarkable city stories viewed from the theme 'The Medium is the Message'.