Van de Waal, Henri [or Hans]

Date born: 1910

Place born: Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Date died: 1972

Place died: Leiden, The Netherlands

Iconographic scholar, developed Iconclass.  Van de Waal studied Dutch Language and Literature-- including History of Art-- at the University of Leiden. His 1937 dissertation was on seventeenth-century representations of the Batavian revolt against the Romans in Netherlandish art (published in 1940). He expanded this into a book, the set type of which was damaged during the war. Van de Waal, being Jewish, was dismissed from his position as assistant at the Leiden Prentenkabinet (print collectioin) with the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.  He returned after the war to become the director of the cabinet, a position which included, from 1946 onwards, the professorship in History of Art at the Leiden University. His dissertation eventually was published in 1952: Drie eeuwen vaderlandsche geschied-uitbeelding, 1500-1800. Een iconologische studie. As late as 1971, it was reviewed by Bialostocki (q.v.), who described Van de Waal as "one of the masters of the study of images". Van de Waal studied Dutch historical iconography of the sixteenth to the eighteenth century in connection to religion, literature, social history, philosophy etc. Essential in his view of visual art was the existence of iconological groups, constituted by representations related to each other in a specific typological context. The study and classification of images retained his interest throughout his life. This resulted in the decimal index of images of Dutch art, published in 1968, as well as in a universal classification system: Iconclass, completed and published after his death. As director of the Leiden Prentenkabinet he purchased important collections of drawings and engravings. In 1953, after the acquisition of the collectie fotografica of August Grégoire, he founded a new Department of Photography. Van de Waal, whose favorite painter was Rembrandt, was an eloquent and brilliant teacher. He encouraged his pupils to recognize workmanship, rather than merely gathering knowledge about works of art (H. Gerson). MD

Home Country: The Netherlands

Sources: Gerson, Horst. "Hans van de Waal (3 maart 1910-7 mei 1972)". Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen (1972). Amsterdam: B.V. Noord-Hollandsche Uitgevers Maatschappij, 1973: 166-180; Tholen, E. "Beknopte geschiedenis van het Prentenkabinet der Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden". Oude Tekeningen van het Prentenkabinet der Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden, Amsterdam: Rijksdienst Beeldende Kunst, 1985: 9-14 (mentioned);  Bialostocky, Jan. "H. van de Waal, Drie eeuwen vaderlandsche geschied-uitbeelding, 1500-1800. Een iconologische studie." 2 vols. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1952;  The Art Bulletin, 53 (1971) (review); Beilmann, Mechthild. "Hans van de Waal (1910-1972)" in Dilly, Heinrich (ed.) Altmeister moderner Kunstgeschichte. Berlin: Dietrich Reimer Verlag, 1990: 205-219 (see also p.14); Tholen, E. "Het Museum van Fraaije Kunsten voor de Academische Jongelingschap der Leidsche Hoogeschool" in Heijbroek, J.F. and others (eds.) Het Leidse Prentenkabinet. De geschiedenis van de verzamelingen. (Leids Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek 9) Baarn: de Prom, 1994, 87-100; Sluijter, Eric Jan. "Traditie en bezieling: Henri van de Waal (1910-1972)" in Hecht, Peter; Hoogenboom, Annemieke; Stolwijk, Chris (eds.) in Kunstgeschiedenis in Nederland. Negen opstellen. Amsterdam: Prometheus, 1998: 145-168; Dresden, S. "Hans van de Waal, Rotterdam 3 maart 1910 - Leiden 7 mei 1972" Jaarboek van de Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde 1972-1973: 234-243; Fuchs, R.H. "Henri van de Waal, 1910-1972" Simiolus 6, 1 (1972-1973): 4-7.

Bibliography: for a complete list of his published works, see Tholen, E. "Lijst van publikaties van H. van de Waal (tot 1 januari 1970)". Opstellen voor H. van de Waal. Aangeboden door leerlingen en medewerkers (3 maart 1970). (Leidse Kunsthistorische Reeks. Publikaties van het Prentenkabinet/Kunsthistorisch Instituut der Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden, III). Amsterdam: Scheltema

Zeventiende-eeuwse uitbeeldingen van den Bataafschen opstand. Leiden, 1940 (diss. Leiden); Drie eeuwen vaderlandse geschied-uitbeelding 1500-1800. Een iconologische studie. 2 vols. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1952; Decimal Index of the Art of the Low Countries D.I.A.L. Abridged edition of the Iconclass System. The Hague: 1968; [and others] Iconclass, an iconographic Classification System. 17 vols. Amsterdam-New York, 1973-1985; Opstellen voor H. van de Waal. Aangeboden door leerlingen en medewerkers (3 maart 1970). (Leidse Kunsthistorische Reeks. Publikaties van het Prentenkabinet/Kunsthistorisch Instituut der Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden, III). Amsterdam: Scheltema & Holkema/Leiden: Universitaire Pers.