2.4 Conclusion: the Need for further Research
What of Stone’s supposed work for De Keyser? He would appear to have spent six years in Amsterdam, from 1607 to 1613 and it has been claimed that during that time he was De Keyser’s chief assistant.1 What evidence is there for this? As to his work while there, his nephew Charles Stoakes stated that he designed and built what he calls a frontispiece at the Westerkerk in Amsterdam and ‘carved the two lions at the church’.2 This cannot be true since the church was not erected until after Stone’s return to England in 1613 and it has been suggested that Stoakes was actually referring to the Zuiderkerk.3 Here, the dates fit and Hendrick de Keyser was the architect.4 There were two gateways to the churchyard which are possible candidates [14-15]. Documentary evidence, however, appears to be lacking in either case and nothing is known about lions at the church.
Then there is the question of whether the younger members of the De Keyser and Stone families did work for one another in a professional sense. It has been claimed that Willem de Keyser worked in Stone’s workshop,5 and that Stone’s sons were sent for training under Pieter de Keyser,6 but were they? Is this fact, or merely conjecture? Much more information is needed.
14
after Hendrick de Keyser (I) published by Cornelis Danckerts (I)
Gate to the cemetery of the Zuiderkerk in Amsterdam (from: 'Architectura Moderna'), 1631
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. RP-P-2016-314
15
after Hendrick de Keyser (I) published by Cornelis Danckerts (I)
Gate to the cemetery of the Zuiderkerk in Amsterdam (from: 'Architectura Moderna'), 1631
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. RP-P-2016-316