119 architecture
CANAL HOUSE GA BLES A walk alongside Amsterdam’s canal houses, especially around Prinsengracht and Brouwersgracht, will reveal the rich variety of detail and form in the tops of the long slender buildings.
images: stadsarchief amsterdam
The gable, the upper portion within the dual-pitched roof, is an interesting nuance in the history of Amsterdam’s architecture, usually including a curious hook and pulley system for lifting bulky goods to upper floors.
The STEP GABLE, used between 1600 and 1665, was often more elaborately decorated than the spout gable. It’s common in the centre of Amsterdam, and is recognized by what look like steps ascending both sides of the top of the roof. It was very common at the time, but fashion and new trends are powerful temptations, and many affluent Dutch homeowners adapted their homes and gables to the more ornate style of the eighteenth century. Only one hundred of the earlier style are left today. The Bartolotti House at Herengracht 170 is easily one of the more iconic examples.
The BELL GABLE, used between 1660 and 1790, was a popular and more fashionable, ornate gable that mimics the shape of a church bell; it’s also known as the clock gable. They were often adorned with sandstone scroll motifs, which some say resembled the wigs that were in fashion at the time, or also ornamental flowers, fruit, or claws. They are related to the neck gable in their form and silhouette, and later they took on more exuberant additions influenced by the style of Louis xv. The widest bell gable ever built can be seen at Prinsengracht 359.
Introduced by architect Philip Vingboons, the NECK GABLE, used between 1638 and 1780, was a variation on the gable idea. It was composed of a slender, straight, rectangular extension that goes upward in the middle, decorated with carved sandstone ornaments, the ‘klauwstukken,’ on its sides and top, often with a shell motif. Embracing the style of Louis xiv, it is more symmetrical than the bell gable. Some are made entirely from brick, while others entirely from sandstone. A variant, the raised neck gable, features an elongated neck and can be more ornamental. At Herengracht 168 you will find the first neck gable ever built.
The SPOUT GABLE, used between 1620 and 1720, commonly signified trade and the presence of a warehouse rather than a residence. The form of the gable is simple, the shape of an inverted funnel, with a rectangular block sitting atop the apex of the roof, resembling the spout of the funnel. Later the form would take on a more elaborate expression with additional details. Made of brick and sandstone, the spout gable was built more solidly than the previous pointed wooden gables dating from 1420, whose construction was halted due to recurring fires. Nice examples can be seen along Brouwersgracht 184-194. —
amsterdam luxury — nº12