Artwork

Cadets Lined up in front of the Het Zeerecht Building in Amsterdam

Cadets Lined up in front of the Het Zeerecht Building in Amsterdam is an unspecified painting by the Biedermeier artist Jonas Zeuner. It dates from 1798 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Technique & Style

5 cm in width, reflecting its modest scale typical of such glass paintings from the period.

The work is executed in verre églomisé, a painted glass technique applied to a glass support, as documented in the artwork record and corroborated by the Rijksmuseum collection listing. The painting measures 18.7 cm in height and 12.5 cm in width, reflecting its modest scale typical of such glass paintings from the period. Its formal composition depicts cadets positioned before the Het Zeerecht Building in Amsterdam, rendered with precise detail on the glass surface, contributing to a distinctive luminous quality characteristic of the medium.

History & Provenance

The painting was created in 1796 by Jonas Zeuner, a Dutch artist known for his works in verre églomisé. It portrays cadets assembled before the Het Zeerecht Building in Amsterdam and was originally commissioned as a decorative panel for that building. The work entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it remains on display today. Its dimensions are 18.7 cm in height and 12.5 cm in width.

The painting is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, as recorded in its Wikidata entry. No specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available sources. The sources do not document any exhibition history for the work, and none can be reported.

Overview

Created in 1798, this work by Jonas Zeuner employs the verre églomisé technique, in which gold leaf is applied to a glass surface and then engraved. The composition presents a line of uniformed cadets marching before a prominent Amsterdam building marked with the sign Het Zeerecht, its roof pierced by a ship’s mast and a tall arched window.

Subject & Meaning

The image captures a military procession set against an urban backdrop, emphasizing the orderly presence of the cadets and the civic architecture of Amsterdam. The juxtaposition of the disciplined troops with the commercial or maritime building hints at the close ties between the city’s defense forces and its mercantile activities in the late eighteenth century.

Context

The painting belongs to a period when Dutch artists increasingly documented the built environment, often for a growing middle‑class audience. Zeuner’s focus on Amsterdam’s streets and its civic structures aligns with the broader Biedermeier trend toward documenting contemporary, recognizable settings.

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Artist & collection

Artist

Jonas Zeuner

Jonas Zeuner (Kassel 1727–1814), was an artist and engraver. Zeuner arrived in Amsterdam around 1750 although his first recorded work dates from after 1770. He perfected techniques for engraving in gold and silver leaf,…