Exterior view

With his design of Keizersgracht 177, Amsterdam van Campen introduced a new development in Dutch architecture that became known as Dutch Classicism. This movement reached maturity in 1633 with van Campen’s Mauritshuis in The Hague, designed for Johan Maurits, Count of Nassau-Siegen.

The building is free-standing, its fa�ade articulated on all sides by a colossal order of Ionic pilasters resting on a plinth storey. The fa�ade is surmounted by a pediment, above which rises a steeply inclined roof with two chimneys. The front fa�ade is seven bays wide; the outer ones and the middle three project slightly. The central projection with the entrance is entirely constructed of sandstone and is crowned with a pediment containing the Nassau coat of arms. The central projection of the rear, five-bay fa�ade is also in stone, as are the other decorative parts such as the festoons under the windows on the first floor.