Hermanus Petrus Schouten (Amsterdam 1747-1822 Haarlem)

The Waag on the Dam square was built in 1565 and was the first monumental building in the Renaissance style in Amsterdam. This view shows the building before its reconstruction in 1770-75 because of subsidence. A drawing by Schouten with a comparable view of the reconstructed Waag was used for Pieter Fouquet's Atlas of Amsterdam, first published in 1778. In 1808 the Waag was demolished by order of King Louis Bonaparte, Napoleon's brother, whose view was obscured by the building. A drawing by Gerrit Lamberts showing this event was sold at Christie's, Amsterdam, 16 April 2002, lot 1205.