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Lot Essay
Hendrik Hermanus Hess' ancestors emigrated to The Netherlands in the first half of the 17th century. Hendrik first lived in Leeuwarden and worked as a tailor. In 1754 Hendrik established his organ workshop in Gouda with help of his older brother Johan who was the organ-player of the St. John church in Gouda. The workshop of Hess built mainly house-organs and remained in Gouda until 1794.
In view of his prolific production Hess may well be the most important maker of house organs in the Netherlands. The organ-cabinets of his hand are known in two types: the type in the Louis XV-style made during the 1770's and the beginning of the 1780's, like the one described here and the type made during the 1790's in the Louis XVI-style, one of them is a signed example dating 1792 and now remaining in the collection of the Centraal Museum in Utrecht, inventory number C 1904/424 xx. Besides manufacturing house-organs Hess also concentrated on producing church organs for example the organ for the Sint Jacob Gasthuis in Schiedam (now the Stedelijk Museum)
A.J. Gierveld, Het Nederlandse huisorgel in de 17de en 18de eeuw, Utrecht, 1977 and A.J. Gierveld, Die Niederländische Hausorgel in früheren Jahrhunderten, Culemborg, 1981.
In view of his prolific production Hess may well be the most important maker of house organs in the Netherlands. The organ-cabinets of his hand are known in two types: the type in the Louis XV-style made during the 1770's and the beginning of the 1780's, like the one described here and the type made during the 1790's in the Louis XVI-style, one of them is a signed example dating 1792 and now remaining in the collection of the Centraal Museum in Utrecht, inventory number C 1904/424 xx. Besides manufacturing house-organs Hess also concentrated on producing church organs for example the organ for the Sint Jacob Gasthuis in Schiedam (now the Stedelijk Museum)
A.J. Gierveld, Het Nederlandse huisorgel in de 17de en 18de eeuw, Utrecht, 1977 and A.J. Gierveld, Die Niederländische Hausorgel in früheren Jahrhunderten, Culemborg, 1981.