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Wybrand Hendriks, Group portrait of the Directors of Teylers Foundation, 1786.

Leendert Viervant

Architect of the Oval Room

The commission for the design of a ‘boek- en konstzaal’ was awarded in 1779 to the young Amsterdam architect Leendert Viervant (1752-1801).

Oval Room, design by Leendert Viervant.

Oval Room, design by Leendert Viervant.

Before being granted with that honour, he had gained experience in the construction of the town hall of Weesp, one of the purest examples of neoclassical architecture in the Netherlands.

Compared to the beautiful interior of the Oval Room with the slightly convex pine floor, oak cabinets, the iron balustrade with four fold-out desks for consulting books and the special stucco decorations, the exterior is a bit disappointing. But for the visitor who entered the museum via the stately Fundatiehuis, the outside of the hall was of no importance.

Viervant was also responsible for the design of the pyramidal display cases, the display cases around the globes and the base of Marum's electric machine. He also built Teylers Hofje, a few hundred meters north of the museum.

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