View of the Weerdpoort in Utrecht with the St. Jacobskerk in the distance

The Weerdpoort in Utrecht was one of the four citygates of Utrecht during the Middle Ages. This gate protected the Northern entry to the Oudegracht. In the collection of the Utrechts Gemeentearchief are several drawings by Jan Hendrik Verheijen, amongst which several of the Weerdpoort. All these drawings, however, show the Weerdpoort from the other side, the cityside, and not from the side that is depicted in the present lot. Here we see the portal of the Weerdpoort with the Weerdbrug over the outer city canal. On the right of the gate, the Zandbrug is visible, the most Northern of all bridges over the Oudegracht. This canal could be closed with a waterfence to prevent ships from sailing through. Through the opening of the Weerdpoort, one can see the houses on the Eastside of the Oudegracht, on the right the houses on the Westside. In the background, the tower of the Jacobskerk is depicted. This church had the tentroof which is visible in the present lot from 1812 untill 1845.

We wish to thank Mrs Tolien Wilmer of the Utrechts Archief for her kind assistance in cataloguing the present lot.