Boelens-Den Otter kapel in de Nieuwe Kerk van Amsterdam 1680 - 1731

Jan Goeree made this print of the Boelens-Den Otter chapel in the Nieuwe Kerk of Amsterdam, sometime around the turn of the 18th century. It’s an engraving, meaning that the image was incised into a metal plate, likely copper. The plate was then inked, and the excess carefully wiped away. The ink remaining in the grooves was then transferred to paper under great pressure. This was a highly skilled process, requiring years of training to master the burin – the tool used to cut the lines. Notice the incredible detail Goeree achieved, from the figures in the foreground to the vaulted ceilings in the background. The very precision of the medium speaks to the values of the time. Engravings like this were not just about aesthetics. They were a form of documentation, preserving and disseminating images of important buildings and artworks. This print allows us to see the chapel as it appeared centuries ago, understanding its place in the cultural landscape of Amsterdam. It challenges us to consider the labor and skill involved in both the creation of the chapel itself, and its depiction in print.