Legal deposition made by Rubens in 1621 in regards to the roofing of his house.
Place and date
Antwerp, 05-01-1621
Archival reference
Felixarchief /Antwerp City Archives, GA#5701
Transcription
Felixarchief /Antwerp City Archives, GA#5701, 05-01-1621
Retrieved and transcribed by Ingrid Moortgat with the help of architectural historian Petra Maclot
How to cite: Moortgat, Ingrid. “Rubens roof boarding” In Jordaens Van Dyck Panel Paintings Project. Edited by Joost Vander Auwera and Justin Davies.
http://jordaensvandyck.org/archive/rubens-roof-boarding-5-january-1621/ (accessed 30 April 2024)
Op heden den vijffden dach der maent van January
int iaer onsheeren duijsent sessehondert
eenentwintich. Ten versuecke van abraham
vanden bossche (schalidecker) compareerden
voor mij, peeter van aerdenbodeghem openbaer
not[ari]s t’ antwerpen residerende ende in presentie
vande getuygen naergenoempt, Deersaeme S[eigneu]r
Peeter Paulo Rubbens schilder van haere
doorluchtichste hoocheden, ende heeft verclaert
ende geattesteert, [ver]claerde ende attesteerde
mits desen voor de gerechte waerheyt
waerachtich te syne, hoe dat hij affirmant
onder andere aen syne timmerlieden die gemaect
hebben syne huysinge inden jare 1615 oock
hadden aenbesteet te solderen ende berderen
syn dack, dwelck hy heeft doen decken met
schalien. Item verclaert oock waerachtich
te syne dat alsoo de selve berderinghe
by de voors[eide] timmerlieden was geleet,
ende hij attestant bevonden hebbende
dat de voors[eide] timmerlieden de v[oor]s[eide] berderinge
licht op hadden geslagen, ende niet genagelt
soo dat behoorde, soo heeft hy attestant
Today the fifth day of the month of January
in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred
and twenty one. At the request of Abraham
van den Bossche, slater, appeared
before me Peeter Van Aerdenbodeghem, notary
public residing in Antwerp, in the presence
of witnesses mentioned below, the honourable gentleman
Peeter Paulo Rubens painter to Her
Serene Highness and he has declared
and certified, declaring and certifying hereby
to be true that he declarant,
among other things, asked the same joiners who constructed
his house in 1615 to install a boarding
on his roof as support for the slate covering. Also he declared to be true
that in this way it was tiled with this same covering
by the above-mentioned joiners.
And he declarant had noticed
that the above-mentioned joiners had put the above-mentioned covering
without nailing it properly,
so that he declarant
daernaer deselve berderinge by den requirant
sijnen schalidecker wederen doen hernaegelen
mits deselve synen schalidecker seyde dat v[oor]s[eide]
dack niet en was genagelt soot behoorde
(dwelck hy oock heeft bevonden alsoo oock
waerachtich te syne) ende dat hy omesulcx
schande aen syn werck soude haelen, ende opdat
t’ werck soude mogen goet wesen soo heeft hy
attestant deselve berderinge door den voors[eide]
synen schalidecker doen remedieren sonder dat den
selven schalidecker hem attestant daer voren
yet geheyscht heeft dan alleenel[yck] dat hy
attestant de nagelen heeft betaelt.
Sonder argelist, dit is aldus gedaen ende
gepasseert in pr[esen]tie van ottho vorste[r]man
ende maximilian van broeckhen beyde schilders
als ge[tuyghe]n ende heeft den comp[aran]t de minute
myns not[ari]s geteekent.
Quod attestor
P Van Aerdenbodeghem not[ari]s pub[licu]s
had this same covering nailed again afterwards by the claimant,
his slater, saying that the above-mentioned roof was not nailed
as it should be, which he had also noticed and
said that he would suffer ill effects from this work. And for
the job to be well done he declarant has had
this same covering remedied by the above-mentioned,
his slater, for which this slater demanded
no more than only that he declarant paid for the nails.
Without deceit this was done and
passed in the presence of Otto Vorsterman
and Maximilian van Broeckhen, both painters,
as witnesses.’
P Van Aerdenbodeghem notary public