A limited number of painters busied themselves in making faithful
transcripts of the streets and the exterior appearance of the
buildings. Jan van der Heyden (1637-1712) was perhaps the most
successful in this direction, and his _View of the Town Hall of
Amsterdam_ in 1688 is an excellent example of his methods, while
the Louvre also possesses three small panels by him. Jan Abrahamsz
Beerstraten (1622-1666), the son of a cooper at Amsterdam, travelled
to Italy and the Mediterranean, proof of which is afforded by his _Old
Town Gate at Genoa_ (No. 2310). The typical architectural painter is,
however, Gerrit Berckheyde (1638-1698). Although he never went to
Italy, his _View of Trajan’s Column_ (No. 2324) is a welcome relief
from the many versions he painted, with conspicuous success, of _The
Market-Place of Haarlem_.
Hendrik van Steenwyck (1580-1648) almost invariably contented himself
with reproducing the _Interiors of Churches_ (Nos. 2582, 2583); but
his _Christ in the House of Martha and Mary_ (No. 2581) is an unusual
subject with him, and must be his masterpiece. The _Vestibule of a
Palace_ (No. 2490), by Isaac van Nickelle (fl. 1660), is very good of
its kind; but the _Interior of a Guard-Room_ (No. 2453), by Aart van
Maes, is a poor attempt at dramatic action.