Delft: Final Post Honest!
A final few miscellaneous images of Delft. Including some of medical instruments, just to warn those who may not like such things.
This is the Stathuis which the guide charmingly described as "an extremely balanced, almost symmetrical building".
This is the smallest house in Delft and apparently belonged to, Pieter van Foreest' the municipal physician in the 16th century. The bronze over the door on the left is in his honour. I can't help feeling that two front doors is a little excessive if you are the smallest house in Delft.
These randomly appeared in the cobbled streets up and down the Oude Delft. They were all the same, saying the Earth in a variety of languages. I've no idea why they were there though.
The Prinsenhof if the main museum in Delft and was the residence of William I of Orange. The ground floor is devoted to displays chronicling his life and involvement with the start of the 80 years war for freedom from Spain. I think some of it got a bit garbled in translation, particularly the information board which explained how William took an oath of allegiance to the Spanish King "and thus became a rebel". He was the great-great grandfather of William III of England, in case anyone is wondering about the connection.
This is the staircase where William of Orange was assassinated.
And the bullet holes.
The second floor of the museum is mostly devoted to art. With several paintings of views of Delft - trying to capitalise on the Vermeer connection, though as far as I could ascertain, none of Vermeer's paintings remain in Delft. An exhibition of other art inspired by the locality including this rather striking sculpture called "Instruments of Life" in a section about Delft's hospital.
Then unsurprisingly there was a lot of blue and white earthenware, but I was impressed by a small space at the end devoted to outputs of TU Delft including videos of various scientists describing their work. Its the sort of exhibit that it always surprises me that local museums in the UK don't manage to muster very often.
This entry was originally posted at http://purplecat.dreamwidth.org/148206.html.
This is the Stathuis which the guide charmingly described as "an extremely balanced, almost symmetrical building".
This is the smallest house in Delft and apparently belonged to, Pieter van Foreest' the municipal physician in the 16th century. The bronze over the door on the left is in his honour. I can't help feeling that two front doors is a little excessive if you are the smallest house in Delft.
These randomly appeared in the cobbled streets up and down the Oude Delft. They were all the same, saying the Earth in a variety of languages. I've no idea why they were there though.
The Prinsenhof if the main museum in Delft and was the residence of William I of Orange. The ground floor is devoted to displays chronicling his life and involvement with the start of the 80 years war for freedom from Spain. I think some of it got a bit garbled in translation, particularly the information board which explained how William took an oath of allegiance to the Spanish King "and thus became a rebel". He was the great-great grandfather of William III of England, in case anyone is wondering about the connection.
This is the staircase where William of Orange was assassinated.
And the bullet holes.
The second floor of the museum is mostly devoted to art. With several paintings of views of Delft - trying to capitalise on the Vermeer connection, though as far as I could ascertain, none of Vermeer's paintings remain in Delft. An exhibition of other art inspired by the locality including this rather striking sculpture called "Instruments of Life" in a section about Delft's hospital.
Then unsurprisingly there was a lot of blue and white earthenware, but I was impressed by a small space at the end devoted to outputs of TU Delft including videos of various scientists describing their work. Its the sort of exhibit that it always surprises me that local museums in the UK don't manage to muster very often.
This entry was originally posted at http://purplecat.dreamwidth.org/148206.html.