Fortuna, from the Facade of the Arminiushuis in Oudewater

Entry

After being destroyed by the Spanish in 1575, the birth home of the renowned Dutch theologian Arminius (1560-1609) at 14 Markt-Oostzijde in Oudewater was completely rebuilt in 1601.² This enterprise was commissioned by Harmen Woutersz van Cortenoort or his son, Gerrit Harmensz Taets, both of whom had served as burgomaster of Oudewater and resided in the so-called Arminiushuis. Incorporated in the new facade was this sandstone statue of Lady Fortuna, located between the windows of the upper floors. She stands on a globe holding a full, wind-blown sail that arches high above her head. Together with the accompanying arched frame with renaissance ornamentation and corbel, the statue was donated to the Rijksmuseum in 1910 by its then owner, P. Buys, the former director of the postal office in Oudewater. Upon the near completion of the Arminiushuis’ restoration in 1955, the ensemble returned to Oudewater, presented on long-term loan by the Rijksmuseum. Its reinstallation in the building’s facade took place in 1961.

The statue’s maker was never documented. On the basis of Fortuna’s delicately formed, raised right arm and the rippling folds of her mantle, Neurdenburg tentatively attributed the figure to Hendrick de Keyser (1565-1621),³ a conclusion that quickly gained wide acceptance.⁴ Nevertheless, the overtly extended right hip, fleshy face and curling hair are in no way reconcilable with the reserved style of this influential Amsterdam sculptor and architect. A comparison with a Fortuna on a stone facade tablet in the museum’s collection (BK-NM-10513) – a product attributed to De Keyser’s workhop – immediately underscores a clear difference in artistic approach.

Staring’s alternative attribution of the Fortuna to the maker of several ordinary, decorative relief figures on various building facades in Oudewater, however, also fails to convince.⁵ The high artistic level of this very ambitious work of architectural sculpture, albeit for the given period, leave no doubt it was carved by a sculptor of note. This artist is likely to have been active in a major city in the surroundings of Oudewater, such as Gouda or Utrecht.

Bieke van der Mark, 2024