(Amsterdam 1641–1687)
The old port in Amsterdam with the Nieuwe Brug, the Damrak and Haringpakkerstoren,
oil on canvas, 81.7 x 108 cm, framed

The present picture may be compared with a closely related composition by Jacobus Storck, (signed ‘J. Stork 1678’, 88 x 123 cm) in a private collection, The Netherlands.

The present work by Storck is a characteristically sensitive and carefully studied record of a now much-changed view of the old harbour front of Amsterdam. Storck depicts the Paalhuis on the left in the foreground, beside the Nieuwe Brug over the Damrak while on the right in the distance the Nieuwe Stadsherberg tavern lies under a golden sky behind the boat with furled sails. The work illustrates the original frontage of the river Amstel estuary, with the forest of masts in the background evidencing Amsterdam’s position in the 1670s as still at the epicentre of world trade. The construction of the Centraal Station on an artificial island in the harbour at the end of the 19th century enclosed the historic quayside, moving the waterfront north to the new shore of the Ij behind the railway line. Most presciently, in the centre, a multi-sided tower with an ornate bell on top divides the composition. This is the Haringpakkerstoren. It was used as a mustering point for the herring packers who had to appear for work on hearing the bell, and as a place of imprisonment for Catholics. It was demolished in the 19th century.