Magnificent series with views of the country house "Zuylestein" and its gardens, situated between Leersum and Amerongen on the road from Utrecht to Arnhem, engraved by Daniel Stoopendaal (1672-1726). The series starts with a beautiful bird's eye view of the estate, followed by the gate, views on the house, garden views, bird's eye view from the garden towards the hills of the Utrechtse heuvelrug, view of the road from Utrecht, bird's eye views from the house to Royestein and Wayesteyn (Lienden, Ingen), towards Utrecht and Amerongen, bird's eye view from the "Wafelyzer" towards Amerongen and Zuylesteyn, view of the house coming from Amerongen, and a view of the village Leersum. The series is very rare. The present copy comes from the library of Theodoor Verrijn Stuart (1868-1926), director of Lettergieterij Amsterdam (Amsterdam Type Foundry), and Johannes Hendrik Gispen (1905-1968), who was the Dutch minister of trade in 1945.
Stoopendaal's large bird's eye view of the house and gardens must date from after 1710, the year in which Frederick van Nassau-Zuylesteyn (1682-1738) was rewarded with the estate. It shows the layout as it was realized under his father Willem van Nassau-Zuylesteyn (1649-1708), who belonged to the intimate circle of friends of the stadholder/King William III. Zuylesteyn had become the property of Prince Frederick Hendrik, son of William the Silent, in 1630. He modernised the house and was responsible for the arrangement of gardens and plantations over a period of ten years. In 1640 he donated the estate to his bastard son Frederick (1624-1672), who was tutor to William III from 1659 to 1666.
Stoopendaal's aerial view shows the gardens in another form. The canal round the house, forecourt, and gardens was largely drained and replaced by a wall. Another part of the canal was standardised into ponds. At the end of the most westerly pond a large pavilion had been erected. These beautifications of Zuylesteyn were doubtless stimulated by William III, who was regularly a hunting guest at Zuylesteyn.
With the bookplate of Theodoor Johan Verrijn Stuart (1868-1926) tipped onto the front pastedown, and an ownership's annotation in pencil by Johannes Hendrik Gispen (1905-1968), dated September 1949. The corners of the boards are somewhat scuffed, the spine has browned. The leaves of the album are browned, without affecting the plates, the plates have been cut to their borders to fit onto the leaves of the album. Otherwise in good condition. Hollstein XXVIII, Stoopendaal 52; Hunt & de Jong, The Anglo-Dutch garden in the age of William and Mary, pp. 184-6.