The Rise of the Staircase : Motion in Eighteenth-Century Dutch Domestic Architecture

Abstract

In the eighteenth-century homes of the Dutch elite, the indispensable but inconspicuous device of the stairs developed into a monumental, designed centrepiece of the house. This contribution considers the new open-well staircase in the broader context of the growing demand for social space, a recurring interest in French (court) culture and fashion, and a specific interest among the Dutch elite in graceful movement of the civilized human body. A closer study of architectural model books, etiquette manuals, and reflections on cultured behavior, style, elegance, and physical movement helps to explain the rise of this space-consuming element in eighteenth-century houses in the Netherlands and Amsterdam in particular.