Friday, July 14, 2017

Royal Palace: Fit for a King

July 14, 2017 - Amsterdam -Toured the Royal Palace in Amsterdam and it's a building fit for a king with rich marble, brass and ivory and artwork that salutes Roman gods and goddesses, built in the 17th Century as the Town Hall of Amsterdam.




Aside from the spectacular artwork, the details about the Palace were rather fascinating.  

The Palace used to be the Town Hall and it dates to the 16th Century.

It was often referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World because 13,659 wooden poles were driven into the soft ground to carry the weight of the building. 

In 1808 the town hall was turned into a palace for King Louis Bonaparte. 


Six chandeliers hang from the ceiling.  The blue ball with stars refers to the globe of Atlas. Curved hooks on the end once held large oil lamps. 


There were no paintings in the corners above Mars and Venus. The docent said it was because Rembrandt did paint two murals and the four mayors did not like them.


One painting was a hero with one eye and they didn't care for that so they took it down. The other painting was too dark and also removed.

Contracting for another painting did not happen because all the money for the Palace was spent on marble. 

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