Plattegrond van de grafkelder van het Huis Oranje-Nassau 1844 - 1845

This floor plan of the burial vault of the House of Orange-Nassau, now in the Rijksmuseum collection, was made anonymously with ink on paper. It’s a diagram of a space dedicated to the remains of prominent members of the Dutch Royal Family. This type of plan would have been produced using precise drafting tools, inking pens and rulers to create a layout of this architectural space. The creation of this floor plan speaks to the importance of lineage and power. By carefully mapping out the spatial arrangement of the vault and its occupants, it emphasizes the social hierarchy of the Dutch Royalty. The use of ink on paper connects this plan to a broader history of documentation, record-keeping, and the establishment of social order, revealing how even a seemingly simple diagram can carry significant cultural weight. Its relatively small size and the precision with which it was drawn, suggests the amount of work involved in the production process.