Gallery

herengracht 390

The two houses at Herengracht 390 and 392 were build in 1665 by the timber merchand Jan Teeringh, most likely after a design by Justus Vingboons (c. 1620-1698), the architect of the famous Trippenhuis on the Kloveniers Burgwal in Amsterdam. In 1674 both residences were sold to Jan de Wijs (?-1684). His son, Hendrik de Wijs (?-1694) inherited them and rented number 390, named ‘het Schip de Hoop’ (The Ship the Hope) out to the merchant Hendrick Kerckrinck (1652-1693) and his wife Christina Cromhuysen (1658-1729). The formed the first company there under the name Kerckrinck & Son.

After Hendrik de Wijs’ death, both houses became property of his half sister Susanna de Wijs (1683-1749), married to Hendrik Huyghens (1677-1746). Susanna’s great grandchild Susanna Catharina Bors van Waveren (1730-1760) married Jonkheer Jan Six III (1730-1779) in 1751. After 300 years the portrait of Susanna Huyghens-De Wijs (attributed to Jan de Baen) is on loan to the Jan Six Fine Art gallery and hangs again in her salon.
Hendrik and Suzanna rented the house shortly after their marriage to the unmarried brothers Jan (1638-1712) and Gabriel Eyghels (1640-1706), who worked there as merchants. They in their turn rented the house to the merchant Hendrik Colonius in 1739. Four years later it was rented out to the Catholic merchant Jan Lintelo.

In 1743 Hendrik and Susanna moved back to both houses and changed the entrance. After Susanna’s death a Mr. Nairac rented Herengracht 390 until the children of Hendrik and Susanna sold the house to the merchant Jan Bruijn Abrahamsz (1719-1769). His widow, Georgina van Oosterwijk (1721-1776), remained there until her death, when their son Abraham Bruijn took over. Around 1779-1781 his brother Jacob van Oosterwijk Bruijn (1752-1810) joined him and inherited the building in 1805. He then rented it out to Mr. Arnold Jan van der Tuuk (1756-1836).
In the year Jacob died, he rented it to the Greek merchant Stefano Paleologo (1763-1835), from Patmos. He founded there the company called Zirby, Cohen & Paleologo.

In 1811 the house was sold to Adolph Hendrik Kerkhoff (1765-1855), who lived there until his death. He changed the entrance completely, hence it now differs from Herengracht 392, and visitors enter the building through the ground floor.
In 1856 Henriette Adriana Oyens (1808-1877), widow of Johannes Deodatus Waller (?-1849) bought the house and lived there with her sons Jan Lodewijk Waller (1843-1913), the amateur painter Johannes Deodatus Waller II (1844-1921) and dr. Gerrit Waller (1847-1923. The widow of the second son, Maria Christina Martens (1848-1921) inherited the house in 1878. After that it was rented out to Hendrik Paulus Goedkoop (1851-?) in 1890 and in 1898 to Mr. Lodewijk Willem van Gigch (1862-1914), who bought it in 1906. After his death his son, Mr. Louis van Gigch (?-1940), lived there and rented several rooms to Aaldrik Jan George Strengholt (1901-1973), who founded there the publishers agency A.J.C. Strengholt’s.

In 1940 the merchant Edwin Herman Meijer became the owner and traded under the firm name Gottfried Meijer & Co. A small portion of the building was then rented to Mr. Martinus Joseph Anthonius Maria Schretlen, who formed there the art dealership Schretlen. A different part of the house was rented out to the lawyers J.C.S. en H.C.S. Warendorf and L. Gehrels. In 1970 the house became property of Elsbeth Erna Charlotte Meijer, wife of Dr. Willem Frederik Bon. Presently her daughter lives and works there while she rented the bel-etage to Mr. Rene Bruijstens who started the Bruijstens Modern Art Gallery in 2005. Since 2009 Jan Six rented the space and started a gallery with Old Master paintings and drawings under the name Jan Six Fine Art.