
1. ‘Erasmus is here’
Erasmus by Hendrick de Keyser (1622)
The oldest bronze statue in the Netherlands is in Rotterdam! Sculptor Hendrick de Keyser (1565-1621) designed this statue of Desiderius Erasmus based on painted portraits and drawings. Those portraits often show Erasmus dressed in a tabard with the characteristic bonnet on his head, reading with a serious look on his face. These elements can also be seen in the Rotterdam statue of the humanist. It was cast in 1622 and placed on the Grotemarkt. After surviving the bombing of the city, the statue was removed from its pedestal and hidden in Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen during the war. Now Erasmus is back on display outside.