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• Herengracht 433

• De Herengracht bij de doopsgezinde kerk Bij 't Lam • Herengracht 433 tot 429 met in het midden het pleintje voor de doopsgezinde kerk Bij 't Lam. Vanuit Herengracht 429 wordt huisraad op een dekschuit geladen in verband met een verhuizing (wellicht een tijdelijke verhuizing, naar het buitenhuis van de bewoners). • Schouten, H. P. (Herman; 1747-1822) • 1780 ca. t/m 1790 Gemeente Archief Amsterdam

Maria Sophia Dulcken: Between Music and the Amsterdam Regents
Hans Meijer

The story of Maria Sophia Dulcken brings together two remarkable worlds of eighteenth-century Europe: the celebrated dynasty of instrument makers that transformed keyboard music, and the wealthy regent families who governed Amsterdam during the Dutch Republic.
Maria Sophia was the daughter of Johannes Daniel Dulcken, one of the most renowned harpsichord makers of the eighteenth century. His instruments were admired throughout Europe for their craftsmanship and exceptional sound. From Antwerp, the Dulcken family built a reputation that would extend far beyond the Low Countries.
After Johannes Daniel's death, his children followed different paths. His son Jean-Louis (Johannes Lodewijk) Dulcken established himself in Amsterdam, Hasselt, Antwerpen and Paris as an instrument maker. By the end of the century, family records described him as a royal French instrument maker, suggesting connections to the French royal court during the final years of the Ancien Régime. His son, Louis Dulcken II, would later become a court piano maker in Munich, supplying instruments to one of Europe's most prestigious courts.
While her brother and nephew pursued musical careers on the European stage, Maria Sophia's life unfolded in a very different setting.

She entered the household of Jonkvrouwe Johanna Catharina van der Dussen, daughter of Jacob van der Dussen, bailiff and dike-reeve of Amstelland and a member of one of Amsterdam's prominent regent families. Historical records place the Van der Dussen family in a grand mansion at Herengracht 433, near Koningsplein, in the prestigious "Gouden Bocht".
The house reflected the family's status. It was a residence of wealth and influence, staffed by numerous servants and maintained with the elegance expected of Amsterdam's governing elite.
Over time, Maria Sophia became far more than a servant. A legal document dated 29 March 1792 states that she had cared for Johanna Catharina and had administered her affairs. The wording suggests a position of exceptional trust and responsibility. She managed household matters, oversaw practical affairs, and remained at her mistress's side during her final years.
When Johanna Catharina died in 1792, Maria Sophia was still living in what the document calls the sterfhuis—the house of the deceased. While the estate was being settled by heirs, lawyers and notaries, she remained in the mansion that had been her home for many years until her death in 1805.
In recognition of her loyalty and service, she received a legacy of five thousand guilders, an extraordinarily generous sum. It was not merely a reward but a testament to the confidence and affection that Johanna Catharina had placed in her.
The contrast is striking. At the very moment when Europe was changing dramatically—when the French Revolution had shaken the old order and new musical instruments were emerging—members of the Dulcken family were active in Paris and Munich, shaping the future of keyboard music. Meanwhile, in Amsterdam, Maria Sophia Dulcken was witnessing the closing chapter of an old regent household.
She stood at the intersection of two worlds. Through her family, she was connected to the leading instrument makers of Europe. Through her work, she became part of one of Amsterdam's distinguished regent families. In the quiet rooms of Herengracht 433, she became the final guardian of a household whose history stretched back generations.
Her story is not merely one of service. It is the story of a woman whose life connected music, craftsmanship, culture, and power at a pivotal moment in European history.
Herengracht 433 is a stately 18th Century mansion with attendant stables and coach house just around the corner from the Koningsplein in the most prestigious stretch of the canal belt. Built in 1717 to a design by Marseille-born architect Jean Coulon, the property was commissioned by the wealthy merchant Joan d’Orville and has retained several beautiful period rooms from the time of its construction, including its grand foyer and a library overlooking the tree-lined canal and its fascinating traffic.

Real Estate: For 3,000 to 6,000 guilders, you could purchase a substantial town house in Amsterdam, located in a decent side street or just outside the main, elite canal rings.

AMSTERDAM ARCHIEF TESTAMENT

[In de marge / bovenaan:] Nº 87. Quitantie Dedel
[Hoofdtekst:] Op den negen & twintigsten Maart des jaars zeventien honderd twee en negentig, compareerde voor mij Cornelis van Homrigh, Openbaar Notaris te Amsteldam, bij den Hove van Holland geadmitteerd,
Mejuffrouw Maria Sophia Dülcken, meerderjarig en ongehuwd, wonende binnen deze Stad ten Sterfhuize van wijlen de WelEd. Geb. Jonkvrouwe Johanna Catharina van der Dussen, welke zij Juffrouw Comparante in der tijd heeft opgepast en derzelver Huishouding gedirigeerd,
Ende bekende uit handen van de Wel Edele Gestrenge Heeren Daniel Hooft Gerritsz. Vrijheer van Vreeland en Dorssewaard, oud Schepen en oud Raad in de Vroedschap dezer Stad etc. etc. en Mr. Jacob Hooft, oud Schepen dezer Stad etc. etc. voor zich en de verdere mede Erfgenamen ab intestate van wijlen de welgemelde Jonkvrouwe Johanna Catharina van der Dussen, ontvangen en in contante penningen naar zich genomen te hebben een summa van vijf duizend guldens tot een praesent door

[In the margin / at the top:] No. 87. Dedel’s receipt
[Main text:] On the twenty-ninth of March in the year seventeen hundred and ninety-two, Cornelis van Homrigh, a Notary Public in Amsterdam, admitted to the Court of Holland, appeared before me,
Miss Maria Sophia Dülcken, of full age and unmarried, residing within this City at the residence of the late the Honourable Lady Johanna Catharina van der Dussen, whom the Comparante had previously looked after and whose household she had managed,
And acknowledged that she had received from the hands of the Honourable and Esteemed Gentlemen Daniel Hooft Gerritsz, Baron of Vreeland and Dorssewaard, former Alderman and former Councillor in the City Council of this City, etc., etc., and Mr Jacob Hooft, former Alderman of this City, etc., etc., on their own behalf and on behalf of the other intestate heirs of the late, aforesaid, Miss Johanna Catharina van der Dussen, having received and taken into her possession in cash the sum of five thousand guilders as a present from


de gezamentlijke Erfgenamen uit den Boedel van wijlen dezelve Jonkvrouwe aan haar Juffrouw Comparante toegelegd voor de goede oppassing en goede directie in de Huishouding van de meermelgemelde Jonkvrouwe Johanna Catharina van der Dussen in der tijd, en der- halven dieswegens de welgemelde Heeren Daniel Hooft Gerritsz. en Mr. Jacob Hooft en ook de ver- dere mede Erfgenamen ab intestato van dezelve Jonkvrouwe Johanna Catharina van der Dussen bij dezen dankelijk te quiteren,

Consenterende hier af Acte, Gepasseerd in Amsteldam, ter presentie van Hendrik Theodorus van Otten en Willem Huygens, als getuigen;
[Ondertekeningen:] M S Dülcken H T van Otten W: Huygens C:vHomrigh Nots.

the joint heirs of the estate of the late Lady in question hereby acknowledge to her lady-in-waiting the good care and sound management she provided in the household of the aforementioned Lady Johanna Catharina van der Dussen during that time, and in this regard hereby gratefully acknowledge the aforementioned Messrs Daniel Hooft Gerritsz. and Mr Jacob Hooft, as well as the other co-heirs intestate of the said Lady Johanna Catharina van der Dussen, hereby gratefully discharge them,

Having agreed to this Deed, executed in Amsterdam, in the presence of Hendrik Theodorus van Otten and Willem Huygens, as witnesses;
[Signatures:] M S Dülcken, H T van Otten, W: Huygens, C: vHomrigh, Notary.

De letterlijke tekst die op haar betrekking heeft luidt:
"...úitgezeid de Klederen en Lijflinnen, mitsgaders restanten van Wijn en provisie, welke met gemeen goedvinden der Erfgenamen Zijn overgelaten en gegeven aan Juffroúw Maria Sophia Dúlcken..."
Op basis van de tekst staat er over juffrouw Dulcken dat de kleding, het lijflinnen en de restanten van de wijn en provisie aan haar zijn overgelaten en gegeven. Dit is gebeurd met de gezamenlijke goedkeuring van de erfgenamen.

Maria Sophia Dulken † 17 Januari 1805

• The Status in 1792 (Johanna van der Dussen's Deed):
  The property was designated as her sterfhuis (house of death) because she was the formal owner and primary resident of this Amsterdam estate. In historical transport and estate deeds, the term sterfhuisspecifically referred to the property where the deceased maintained their official household at the time of death. This applies regardless of where the actual passing or the burial (such as in Gouda) took place.

• The Residency of Maria Sophia Dulcken:
  Archival evidence shows that Maria Sophia Dulcken already lived in this exact building in 1792. Because she continued to reside there after Johanna van der Dussen passed away, and was buried in 1805 from that exact same district address (District D, No. 162), the chain of occupancy is seamless.

The purchase: After her father, Jacob van der Dussen, passed away in 1750, her mother, Johanna Clara Pels, purchased this spacious house with its grounds, coach house, and stable from the heirs of Joan d'Orville on July 21, 1751. Archief Amsterdam

"...te hebben aan de Vrouwe Johanna Clara Pels weduwe van de weledele Heer Mr. Jacob van der Dussen, in leven Baillieu en Dijkgraaff van Amstelland &ca Een Huis en Erve met het Coetshuis daar nevens, en de stal daar agter met de Grond staande ende gelegen op de Heere gragt, aan de Oostzijde bij het Coningspleijn…"

"...to have [sold] to the Lady Johanna Clara Pels, widow of the noble Gentleman Mr. Jacob van der Dussen, in life Bailiff and Dike Reeve of Amstelland etc. A House and Yard with the Coach house next to it, and the stable behind it with the Ground, standing and located on the Heere gragt, on the East side near the Coningspleijn..."

Beeldbank Amsterdam Archief

Beeldbank Amsterdam Archief