This image shows us the simple wooden trading fort operated by the Dutch West India Company from 1624 until 1664. Contained within the fort's walls are a number of timber framed houses and a courthouse with a pavilion roof and cupola. The van Doosburgh house in the southeastern corner of the fort’s courtyard (lower left corner) was the subject of much attention when it was excavated by archeologists in the 1970’s. The fort was surrounded by a stone-lined moat on all four sides and accessed via a bridge through the main gate which faced the river. The defensive diamond-shaped bastions on the corners of the fort were earthen filled and served as elevated platforms for cannons.
Outside the walls of Fort Orange was the community of Beverwijck. To the left of the fort stood a crude tavern, depicted in the painting with a straw roof. To the right of the fort, the most prominent structure, a long wooden building, served as the Patroon’s house and the church. It was of simple timber construction also with a straw roof. Killiaen van Rensselaer, the original Patroon, never visited the colony of Rensselaerswijck of which he was the chief administrator. After his death in 1643, his oldest son, Johannes, took the position of Patroon. In 1652, Johannes was succeeded by the second oldest son, Jan Baptist van Rensselaer. Jan Baptist became the first Patroon to live in the colony that his family had administered for so many years and was the first Patroon to actually reside in the house depicted in the painting Fort Orange and the Patroon's House.
Image size approximate
Print Details
Type: Giclée Edition ~ Signed & Numbered Prints
Image size: 9 x 16 inches
Price: 150.00
