What do you think?
Rate this book
De tresoor van Jacob Jansz Poortvliet
Alva, de beeldenstorm… het zijn roerige tijden in 1566. Rondtastend in de historie, brengt Rien Poortvliet het dagelijks leven in de lage landen tot leven.
Poortvliet schetst de waarschijnlijke kleding die zijn voorvader en diens vrouw zouden hebben kunnen dragen, hoe de Nederlanders woonden in die tijd, welke wapens ze hanteerden, wat voor meubels er werden gebruikt, hoe men sliep en at, hoe men zich transporteerde, hoe de justitie er werkte en hoe de pest tekeer ging. Rien Poortvliet brengt het rampjaar 1566 onnavolgbaar in beeld. In heldere kleuren en met superieur vakmanschap. Met knipogen naar Ruysdael en Van Ostade.
Poortvliet schetst de waarschijnlijke kleding die zijn voorvader en diens vrouw zouden hebben kunnen dragen, hoe de Nederlanders woonden in die tijd, welke wapens ze hanteerden, wat voor meubels er werden gebruikt, hoe men sliep en at, hoe men zich transporteerde, hoe de justitie er werkte en hoe de pest tekeer ging. Rien Poortvliet brengt het rampjaar 1566 onnavolgbaar in beeld. In heldere kleuren en met superieur vakmanschap. Met knipogen naar Ruysdael en Van Ostade.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1992
111 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 6, 2009
The year 1566 was tough for the Dutch. It included a plague, a great freeze, floods, and drought, not to mention a Spanish invasion. Dutch artist Rien Poortviiet has created a gorgeous volume of paintings (Daily Life in Holland in the Year 1566 And the Story of My Ancestor's Treasure Chest, representing life as his research showed it to be during that year. He shows in Rembrandtesque detail what clothes people wore, how they got dressed, the misery of the poor, and numerous details of it daily life. For example, many cities had laws regulating the length of knives that could be worn -- perhaps society's first attempt at weapon control. (No doubt the Dutch Sharp Edge Association, also known as the Netherlands Rapier Association, protested vigorously.) The town would hang a wooden knife cut to the s proper length at the town gate so visitors could measure up.
Poortviiet revels in revealing the smallest details. He shows examples of engagement ring and the medallions that peasants their hats. Some were quite humorous; evidently the middle ages wasn't quite as scandalized by the scatological as we have become. Houses had no r house might be numbers, so your house might be the one three houses down from the red boot - the red boot being the sign of a local tanner, perhaps. Men going out for a beer would say, I'm going to pick up a circle," so naturally women getting together for needlework in the evening would have a "sewing circle."
Sanitation was unknown. Garbage and trash were thrown into the streets If a canal passed by the front of a house, it became the catchall of all the debris. Out houses were built over the canal, which was then used for rinsing dishes. It was, however, forbidden to burn deathbed straw within the city limits. Fire itself:: was a constant danger and the city strictly regulated the way houses could be built. Homes with tile or slate roofs were subsidized and, depending on the value of the house, the owner was required to have one or two leather pails on hand, One job of the fire chief was to make sure that there were open holes kept in the ice during the winter for fighting fires.
Traveling was dangerous. Wolves were common, as were robbers and cutthroats. Usually one could tell when approaching a city by the smell, and the sight of bodies hanging from trees. It was required that the condemned confess before being executed so torture was common and the devices used to extract confessions were ingeniously designed to be both beautiful and effective. They are rather vividly portrayed here. Executions were a form of entertainment and it was common for the entire family to attend. The town bailiffs income was derived from the number of criminals or malefactors he was able to torture or execute. (And we thought ticket quotas were bad!) Of course, it wasn't just criminals who got their dues, Anabaptists were also prime fodder for the rack and gallows.
In fact, 1566 was a year or great ferment in the church. The Reformation was beginning to take hold and the anti-idolaters were smashing church icons in a maddening attempt to vent their frustration against the government and the church. All this history is portrayed in hundreds of beautifully detailed paintings and sketches, each supplemented by short text. A magnificent volume.
Poortviiet revels in revealing the smallest details. He shows examples of engagement ring and the medallions that peasants their hats. Some were quite humorous; evidently the middle ages wasn't quite as scandalized by the scatological as we have become. Houses had no r house might be numbers, so your house might be the one three houses down from the red boot - the red boot being the sign of a local tanner, perhaps. Men going out for a beer would say, I'm going to pick up a circle," so naturally women getting together for needlework in the evening would have a "sewing circle."
Sanitation was unknown. Garbage and trash were thrown into the streets If a canal passed by the front of a house, it became the catchall of all the debris. Out houses were built over the canal, which was then used for rinsing dishes. It was, however, forbidden to burn deathbed straw within the city limits. Fire itself:: was a constant danger and the city strictly regulated the way houses could be built. Homes with tile or slate roofs were subsidized and, depending on the value of the house, the owner was required to have one or two leather pails on hand, One job of the fire chief was to make sure that there were open holes kept in the ice during the winter for fighting fires.
Traveling was dangerous. Wolves were common, as were robbers and cutthroats. Usually one could tell when approaching a city by the smell, and the sight of bodies hanging from trees. It was required that the condemned confess before being executed so torture was common and the devices used to extract confessions were ingeniously designed to be both beautiful and effective. They are rather vividly portrayed here. Executions were a form of entertainment and it was common for the entire family to attend. The town bailiffs income was derived from the number of criminals or malefactors he was able to torture or execute. (And we thought ticket quotas were bad!) Of course, it wasn't just criminals who got their dues, Anabaptists were also prime fodder for the rack and gallows.
In fact, 1566 was a year or great ferment in the church. The Reformation was beginning to take hold and the anti-idolaters were smashing church icons in a maddening attempt to vent their frustration against the government and the church. All this history is portrayed in hundreds of beautifully detailed paintings and sketches, each supplemented by short text. A magnificent volume.
July 17, 2022
De Tresoor van Jacob Jansz Poortvliet by Rien Poortvliet
(in English: The Treasury of Jacob Jansz Poortvliet)
The year is 1566. Alva the Grand Duke of Alba, the iconoclasm, the plague, a great freeze, floods and drought and not to mention the Spanish invasion. these are turbulent times. Working his way through his family’s history Rien Poortvliet brings daily life in the Low Countries to life. He shows us the clothing that his ancestors wore, how the Dutch lived, what weapons they had, what furniture was used, how people slept, ate and moved around, how the justice system worked and how the plague raged. He portrays the disaster year 1566 in bright colours and with superior craftsmanship. Using the famous painters Ruysdael and Van Ostade as sources of inspiration. Again a beautiful book. Rien Poortvliet's artwork portraying The Netherlands in 1566 is very informative. The drawings are very detailed. Everything involved in a typical day is meticulously described and documented.
The pages dealing with men's and lady's fashion and grooming were especially engaging. I have always enjoyed Rien Poortvliet’s work. His drawings and paintings are informative, beautiful and enjoyable to look at. The subjects in his books are interesting: history and folklore. 4,5 out of 5,0 for this one.
(in English: The Treasury of Jacob Jansz Poortvliet)
The year is 1566. Alva the Grand Duke of Alba, the iconoclasm, the plague, a great freeze, floods and drought and not to mention the Spanish invasion. these are turbulent times. Working his way through his family’s history Rien Poortvliet brings daily life in the Low Countries to life. He shows us the clothing that his ancestors wore, how the Dutch lived, what weapons they had, what furniture was used, how people slept, ate and moved around, how the justice system worked and how the plague raged. He portrays the disaster year 1566 in bright colours and with superior craftsmanship. Using the famous painters Ruysdael and Van Ostade as sources of inspiration. Again a beautiful book. Rien Poortvliet's artwork portraying The Netherlands in 1566 is very informative. The drawings are very detailed. Everything involved in a typical day is meticulously described and documented.
The pages dealing with men's and lady's fashion and grooming were especially engaging. I have always enjoyed Rien Poortvliet’s work. His drawings and paintings are informative, beautiful and enjoyable to look at. The subjects in his books are interesting: history and folklore. 4,5 out of 5,0 for this one.
March 2, 2018
Rein Poortvliet became interested in his family history and fascinated about a distant relative who lived in 1566. While researching this year, Portvliet found much that appealed to him, it was a remarkable year. This lead him to write and graphically illustrate a book about life during this time period.
This book's illustrations for some may be too realistic, but by enlarge I found this book fascinating. Rein Poortvliet is a talented artist. His books Gnomes and Secrets of Gnomes made him well known.
This book's illustrations for some may be too realistic, but by enlarge I found this book fascinating. Rein Poortvliet is a talented artist. His books Gnomes and Secrets of Gnomes made him well known.
August 17, 2021
Got this when my mother and I were working on our family genealogy and wanted to see what life for our ancestors was really like back.
October 7, 2011
An incredibly beautiful book.
Initially I thought this was a children's book when I picked it up at the library.
Rien Poortvliet's artwork portraying Holland in 1566 is amazing and informative. The drawings are unbelievably detailed as they show the daily routine of Poortvliet's ancestors at a time when Holland was about to experience the Reformation.
Though there isnt that much text, it took me 3 days to go through this book; I wanted to absorb and admire each drawing. Everything involved in a typical day is described and documented in drawing. All events are wonderfully demonstrated, starting with the morning; when Renaissance folk dressed and groomed themselves, and progressing through out the day with their food and cooking needs.
The pages dealing with men's and lady's fashion and grooming were especially engaging. You will learn to appreciate and THANK your simple toilet when you view the pages dealing with human hygiene and all it took to perform the most basic human bodily function.
Some drawings are a little disturbing for children. There is some brief nudity, but the pages detailing crime and punishment might not be appropriate for everyone.
The beauty of this book is how it makes me want to learn and read more about Holland during this sad and incredible time.
A wonderful addition to all our libraries.
Initially I thought this was a children's book when I picked it up at the library.
Rien Poortvliet's artwork portraying Holland in 1566 is amazing and informative. The drawings are unbelievably detailed as they show the daily routine of Poortvliet's ancestors at a time when Holland was about to experience the Reformation.
Though there isnt that much text, it took me 3 days to go through this book; I wanted to absorb and admire each drawing. Everything involved in a typical day is described and documented in drawing. All events are wonderfully demonstrated, starting with the morning; when Renaissance folk dressed and groomed themselves, and progressing through out the day with their food and cooking needs.
The pages dealing with men's and lady's fashion and grooming were especially engaging. You will learn to appreciate and THANK your simple toilet when you view the pages dealing with human hygiene and all it took to perform the most basic human bodily function.
Some drawings are a little disturbing for children. There is some brief nudity, but the pages detailing crime and punishment might not be appropriate for everyone.
The beauty of this book is how it makes me want to learn and read more about Holland during this sad and incredible time.
A wonderful addition to all our libraries.
December 5, 2018
Details of daily life, scenic landscapes, that’s the artwork i appreciate most from this artist. The fact is he has choosen 1566 as theme for his book and 1566 is a very eventful time to be living in Goes, a small place in the Netherlands. So you’d better brace for the lesser niceties like scenes of hunger, public uproar and harsh treatment of prisoners as well.
March 23, 2020
Prachtig boek van Rien Poortvliet. Een geweldig stukje geschiedenis, aangevuld met prachtige tekeningen. Ik heb er hartstikke veel van opgestoken. Het nadeel aan het boek is dat het handgeschreven is, wat het moeilijker maakt om te lezen. Daarnaast zijn er ook grote stukken tekst in het oud Nederlands geschreven, wat al helemaal lastig is. Toch zeker een aanrader!
August 27, 2016
This is really a coffee table picture book. It literally painted an interesting picture of daily life in the Netherlands in 1566. I really enjoyed it, but some portions were a little to graphic for me.
November 29, 2007
Primarily a coffee table book it has a surprisingly good story line and amazing drawings. If you appreciate history then this fictional piece is a must.
January 4, 2008
My favorite illustrator. Poortvliet retraces his Dutch heritage, recreating life in the Lowlands in the Middle Ages.
December 17, 2008
Beautiful, detailed, artwork from Rien Poortvliet. This one has many interesting descriptions and illustrations of daily life in Holland around 1566.
May 6, 2010
Poortvliet does it again - combining art and text to make a beautiful reading experience. This one about history - he brings it to life. Really wonderful work.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews