Pieter Saenredam

Saenredam was a pioneering Dutch painter of church interiors and topographical views. He was among the first architectural painters to emphasise topographical accuracy in his drawings, although in his paintings variations were introduced for pictorial effect. He was particularly interested in the depiction of natural light flooding vast and complex interiors.

Saenredam was born at Assendelft, the son of an engraver. His training took place at Haarlem, with Frans Pietersz de Grebber in whose studio he remained until 1622, and he became a member of the Haarlem guild of painters in 1623. He produced topographical drawings of other towns in the Netherlands, but remained chiefly active at Haarlem and ne was closely in touch with the leading architects of his day, including Jacob van Campen, designer of the Amsterdam Town Hall.