THE S M A L L DRAW ING ROOM
THE GOLDEN C OM PA S S E S A 17th-century traveller describes the houses of wealthy Antwerp citizens as ‘...solid and constructed with good materials. They are beautiful too because they are built in long and straight lines. The entrance gates are adorned with carvings and in the gardens there are sculptures.’ The Plantin-Moretus Museum is an example of such a solid and well-built house belonging to an affluent Antwerp family. It contains more than 30 rooms. The scale model gives you an idea of the dimensions. . . . . . . . . BUILT FROM SCRATCH Christophe Plantin builds his business in Antwerp from scratch. Being a young entrepreneur he invests every penny he earns into his company. Plantin’s successor, sonin-law Jan I Moretus, adopts the same approach: the business always comes first. From the third generation onwards, there is money available for other things. Grandson Balthasar I Moretus renovates the house and turns it into a prominent urban mansion. The building and its interior decoration have to reflect the family’s status. The three state rooms are indeed nothing less than a luxurious 3D calling card.
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