Van der Vinne’s early departure can be seen as symbolic in this respect. Although his
complaints were legitimate at least to some extent, van der Vinne and van Marum’s
disagreements bear all the characteristics of an “incompatibilité d’humeur”. Van der Vinne’s
own behaviour seemed to suggest he was hoping to lead a comfortable life at the Foundation
(recall he was loth to compile an inventory of Pieter Teyler’s art work, for instance). This
would not have chimed well with the energetic van Marum. What’s more, van Marum’s
ambition of taking charge of the Foundation’s collections was potentially at odds with Pieter
Teyler’s wording of his last will and testament, according to which van der Vinne had still
been appointed, long before there was even any talk of a museum.
Yet van Marum’s lack of interest in the fine arts was just as much a prerequisite for the
successful cohabitation with the kastelein - who could, after all, not be dispensed with if
Pieter Teyler’s final wishes were to be respected. There are no signs of any conflict between
van der Vinne’s successor Wybrand Hendriks and van Marum. On the contrary^ .they
cooperated repeatedly, with Hendriks supplying the images to van Marum’s publications on
the electrostatic generator for instance, or helping with the depictions van Marum sent to
Faujas for the Frenchman’s book on the fossils of Maastricht.191
It may have helped that van Marum’s directorship was a fait accompli by the time Hendriks
arrived at the Foundation House in 1785. What’s more, although very little is known about
this painter, the sporadic evidence that is available indicates that he was a jovial and
gregarious character, who would most likely have known how to “handle” van Marum. J.H.
van Borssum Buisman for instance wrote in 1972 (when he himself was kastelein)-. “There are
still anecdotes that confirm the traditional account of his cheerful nature”;192 one of the very
few letters to have been preserved by Hendriks’ hand, containing an appeal to the Royal
Institute to support a struggling artist who had come to him for help, is written with charm;193
and the fact that many notables of Haarlem had their portrait painted by Hendriks over the
years indicates that he was adept at assessing people’s character.194
It would not do Hendriks justice to see him as inferior to van Marum, or as some sort of
assistant to the director of the museum. Hendriks was an accomplished artist in his own right.
He was one of the first to be elected a member of the Fourth Class of the Royal Institute for
instance, and his talent as an artist was generally recognised.195 And as far as the museum was
concerned, Hendriks was regularly supplied with ample funds to acquire prints and drawings
at auctions. When the Foundation's financial fortunes improved in the late 1780s for instance,
enabling van Marum to expand the instrument collection and travel to London, Hendriks too
was provided with large amounts of money to expand the Foundation’s collection of fine art.
191 On Hendriks“ depictions o f the electrostatic generator see: Wiesenfeldt, “Politische Ikonographie von
Wissenschaft: Die Abbildung von Teylers ‘ungemein großer’ Elektrisiermaschine, 1785/87.” On his depictions
o f fossils from the Museum’s collection see: Sliggers, “Krijtfossielen teruggevonden,” 14.
“Er zijn nog anecdotes die de overlevering van zijn vrolijke aard bevestigen”; Altena, Buisman, and Kops,
Wybrand Hendriks 1744-1831, 13.
19 W. Hendriks to C. Apostool, 27.11.1813, Haarlem, NHA, vol. 175, nr. 127. The same file contains another
letter o f his, in which he only thanks the Institute for electing him a member o f its Fourth Class: W. Hendriks to
C.S. Roos, 17.10.1809.
1 On his activities as a portrait painter see: Altena, Buisman, and Kops, Wybrand Hendriks 1744-1831, 14-18.
195 See: Ibid., 10.
Just as van Marum had returned from London in 1790 for example, Hendriks was granted the
handsome sum of T3000,- “to be spent on Drawings, among them one Capital one at the sale
of the Curiosities of the late Mr Jonas Witzen”.1
2. Christina of Sweden’s Collection of Drawings
By this time, the decision had long been taken to acquire what constitutes one of the most
important acquisitions in the entire museum’s history: the collection of prints and drawings
formerly belonging to Christina of Sweden.197 Although it was still to grow in value over the
next two centuries, it was already a prize collection at the end of the 18 century, and
included drawings by famous artists such as Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Raphael and Claude.
The trustees paid a total of f10.000,- to be able to call this collection their own. (For
comparison, they could have acquired two electrostatic generators for this money.) The
collection was spotted by Willem Anne Lestevenon, a member of the Second Society who,
fearing repercussions from his staunch support for the Patriots, had left for self-imposed exile
in Italy after the House of Orange was restored to power in the Netherlands. He remained in
correspondence with his compatriots who had remained in Haarlem, and first reported the
. 198 collection was available in March 1789.
(Incidentally, Lestevenon also reported he might be able to lay his hands on a collection of
fossils, as well as anatomical wax models by Felice Fontana, and the trustees referred him to
van Marum concerning these matters. The former medical doctor was definitely^interested,
and corresponded with Lestevenon about the possible purchase of all these items.199 However,
for unknown reasons, no deal was ever sealed. Nevertheless, it remains intriguing - but of
course purely speculative - to entertain the idea of how the acquisition of Fontana wax
models might have had an impact on the character of Teylers Museum, had it included such a
prominent medical collection.)
Lestevenon was instructed to acquire Christina of Sweden’s collection a few weeks later. The
trustees arrived at the decision to purchase these drawings “after having consulted Mr
Hendriks about the suitability of such a collection for the Museum”.200 Once the deal had
been closed and the collection had found its way to Haarlem in 1790, Hendriks spent the next
196 “te besteden aan Tekeningen waaronder eene Capitate op de Verkopinge der Liefhebberijen van wijlen de
Heer Jonas Witzen”; “Directienotulen”, 13.08.1790, Haarlem, ATS, vol. 5.
197 On the history o f this collection, the veracity o f the claim that it once belonged to Christina o f Sweden its
peregrinations and its acquisition by the Teyler Foundation see: Carel van Tuyll van Serooskerken, The Italian
Drawings o f the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries in the Teyler Museum (Haarlem; Ghent; Doomspijk: Teylers
Museum, 2000), 22.
198 “Directienotulen”, 13.03.1789, Haarlem, ATS, vol. 5.
199 For translations o f the relevant letters see vol. 6 of: Lefebvre, Bruijn, and Forbes, 197-219.
200 “na den Her Hendriks geraadpleegt te hebben over de geschiktheid van zodanige Verzamelinge voor het
Musaeum”; “Directienotulen”, 29.05.1789, Haarlem, ATS, vol. 5.