THE FAMILY VAN LOON
Originally, the family Van Loon lived in Loon op Zand, near 's Hertogenbosch, in the south of the Netherlands. At the end of the sixteenth century they moved to Amsterdam to flee the Spanish occupation. Throughout the centuries, they would come to fulfil important administrative functions. Willem van Loon, for example, was the co-founder of the Dutch East-India Company, in 1602. Several members of the family were mayors of the city of Amsterdam. In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the patrician Van Loon family was raised to the nobility.

The Van Loon coat of arms consists of three crossties, that symbolize the watermill that was property of the family in the Middle Ages, and two Moors' busts, that most probably stand for the part the family played in founding the Dutch East-India Company.

THE COLLECTION
A highlight of the Van Loon collection is the assembly of family portraits, that is to be admired amidst signed furniture, porcelain and silver dating from the eighteenth century. These pictures portray the family's history. The earliest paintings date from the late sixteenth century.

On occasion of Willem van Loon's second marriage in 1637 with Margeretha Bas, Jan Miense Molenaer was commissioned to paint a group portrait of the entire family Van Loon. The wedding depicted, takes place in a typical seventeenth century sael, a room used for receptions. The bride and groom figure left from the centre. Willem van Loon was first married to the daughter of Jan Geelvinck, the mayor of Amsterdam. Through this connection, he came to be the first Van Loon to fulfil an executive function in the Amsterdam City Council. His son from his first marriage, Jan van Loon, is depicted on the family portrait. His stepmother holds him by the hand. All the groom's siblings and their spouses figure on the portrait as well.

The portrait contains many symbolic motives. The fallen chair, for example, refers to the absence of Hans van Loon, Willem's brother who died of the plague. The dog, symbol of dedication, is a reminder of the beloved deceased. The other dog, next to the bride and groom, symbolises the faithful marriage. The portrayal of the black man on the far right is quite unusual. He might have been present at the bridal ceremony as a servant for a few black people are known to have carried out that function at the time in Amsterdam. However, it is more likely that he refers to the Van Loon coat of arms.

The romantic double portrait, hanging in the master bedroom, depicts Jacob Boode and Catharina Martin. Johann Friedrich August Tischbein painted it on occasion of their wedding in 1791. Jacob and Catharina Boode were the grandparents of Louise van Loon-Borski.

In the large bedroom, a portrait of Maurits van Loon, painted by Hans Bayens, is to be admired. This portrait, dated in 1987, is a good example of modern art and the continuity of the Van Loon collection.

THE HOUSE
In 1671, Jeremias van Raey, a merchant from Flanders, ordered two houses to be built on the Keizersgracht. These were the current numbers 672 and 674. Adriaen Dortsman, famous for his work on the Lutheran Church and the Walenweeshuis (the Huguenot orphanage on the Vijzelgracht, which is now the French consulate), was responsible for the design and construction of the buildings. Van Raey came to live at number 674 and let number 672. The first person to rent this house was Ferdinand Bol, one of Rembrandt's most famous pupils.

In 1752, Abraham van Hagen and his wife Catharina Trip bought Keizersgracht 672. They embellished the house elaborately. The highlight of the renovation was the staircase, where the couple's surnames were incorporated in the copper banister.

After having been inhabited by different families during two centuries, the house was bought in 1884 by Hendrik van Loon for his son Willem. Willem van Loon married Thora Egidius that same year. She was Queen Wilhelmina's Dame du Palais and thus received many prominent guests in the house. Thora lived on Keizersgracht 672 until her death in 1945. She was the last resident of the entire house.

After a thorough restoration, the house was partly opened to public as Museum Van Loon in 1973.

THE GARDEN
Many visitors are pleasantly surprised by the big garden behind Museum Van Loon. It is an oasis of peace amidst the busy hustle of the city. Already in the seventeenth century, the gardens behind canal houses were considered unusual. A law that is still valid today, was issued to protect them.

The garden was laid out after the restoration of the 1970's. Its plan is based on a symmetrical garden, drawn on a seventeenth century map of Amsterdam. In 1998 the garden was renovated, according to a design of the garden-architect Eugénie André de la Porte.

The garden is bordered by the facades of the canal house and the mews. The coaches and horses used the mews' entrance on the Kerkstraat.