The Rise of the Staircase: Motion in Eighteenth-Century Dutch Domestic Architecture

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Abstract

In the eighteenth-century homes of the Dutch elite, the indispensable but inconspicuous device of the stairs developed into a monumental, designed centrepiece of the house. This contribution considers the new open-well staircase in the broader context of the growing demand for social space, a recurring interest in French (court) culture and fashion, and a specific interest among the Dutch elite in graceful movement of the civilized human body. A closer study of architectural model books, etiquette manuals, and reflections on cultured behavior, style, elegance, and physical movement helps to explain the rise of this space-consuming element in eighteenth-century house in the Netherlands and Amsterdam in particular.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationEarly Modern Spaces in Motion
Subtitle of host publicationDesign, Experience and Rhetoric
EditorsKimberley Skelton
Place of PublicationAmsterdam
PublisherAmsterdam University Press
Chapter5
Pages139-162
Number of pages24
ISBN (Electronic)9789048544592
ISBN (Print)9789463725811
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Publication series

NameVisual and Material Culture, 1300-1700
PublisherAmsterdam University Press
Volume26

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