Hofje van Mevrouw van Aerden

The Hofje van Mevrouw van Aerden is a museum and former hofje in Leerdam, Netherlands, on the Kerkstraat (numbers 57 and 89).

It was built during the years 1770-1772 on the former location of the "Kasteel van Leerdam", a castle that was destroyed by the Spanish in 1574.

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  Hofje seen from the southwest; on the right is the Linge river and the remains of a castle wall and tower can be seen.
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  The heraldic shields above the doorway are "Dr. C. van Dam van Aerden", "Dr. M. de Villaneuve", "Mevr. M. van Aerden", "Paulus Drooglever", and "Huibert de Bie".

Art collection

A large collection of paintings was also left to the hofje, including paintings by leading 17th-century Dutch painters such as genre pieces by

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  First Regent's room
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  Portrait of Maria Ponderus, possibly by Willem Jacob Herreyns
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  On the left Still life with fruit, oysters and a wineglass by Laurens Craen and on the right Achilles recognizes the daughters of Lykomedes
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  Achilles recognizes the daughters of Lykomedes, by a follower of Anthony van Dyck

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  Other Regent's room
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  On the left, the still life by Pieter Claesz.
• 
  Still life by Pieter Claesz.

On 28 May 2011 the paintings

Dutch Rijksmonument 24041

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hofje van Mevrouw Van Aerden.

References

• Maria Ponderus on
  historici.nl

51°53′25.29″N 5°5′30.20″E / 51.8903583°N 5.0917222°E / 51.8903583; 5.0917222