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Sypesteyn Castle is a universal artwork created by Henri van Sypesteyn (1854-1934). It was built in the twentieth century using medieval bricks and other spolia. Its gardens, park, and woods reflect Dutch landscape gardening from around 1600, and many of the trees and shrubs in its rich collection were hitherto unknown in this part of the world. The collections inside the castle dwell on the stories of the Van Sypesteyn family, on what it was like to live in a castle, as well as displaying an array of eighteenth-century Dutch porcelain.
In the permanent exhibition, visitors encounter portrait paintings of the founder’s ancestors. Over hundred and fifty family portraits given almost complete overview of 400 years of Dutch portrait painting, with work by Michiel van Mierevelt, Nicolaas Maes, Cornelis Troost, and many others. The rooms are decked out with furniture and objects in the decorative arts dating from the Middle Ages to the early nineteenth century. Porcelain from Weesp, Loosdrecht, Amstel, and The Hague display the stylistic development from Rococo to Empire – and several laid tables show that these decorative items were also used in everyday life.
Rik van Wegen, Curator (January 2023)