Lambert Doomer's Amboise of 1646

Château Royal d'Amboise, Lambert Doomer

A Dutch artist with the wonderful name of Lambert Doomer, arrived in Amboise in the summer of 1646. He left with a sketchbook of wonderful drawings which captured the spirit of the age.

Château Royal d'Amboise, March 2021, Mark Playle

Lambert was born in Amsterdam in 1624 and died there in 1700. His parents ran a successful business in luxurious ebony-veneered furniture.

Lambert trained as a furniture maker but his heart was not in furniture, it was in drawing and painting so he was allowed to study art.

His father made picture frames for his artist neighbours. One of whom just happened to be Rembrandt. In 1638 young Lambert watched the genius at work when Rembrandt painted portraits of his parents to mark their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

The boy copied the portraits.

In 1646, Lambert, twenty-two, travelled to France with fellow artist, Schellinks. After visiting Doomer’s brothers in Nantes, they toured the Loire Valley. Amboise was on the itinerary. Even then, as early as 1646, it was popular with tourists. And expensive. The artists could afford to stay only one or two nights in a hotel.

Bridge over the Loire near Amboise, Lambert Doomer

Doomer got to work with his sketchbook, pencils and black and white chalks. His account of the trip is considered one of the best documented artists' journeys of the 17th century. Travel memoirs sparked what became known as The Grand Tour taken by young, upper-class European men when they came of age (twenty-one). Unlike Doomer, they waited until travel was easier. His was arduous. He travelled by horse, carriage, cart, ship, ferry, barge and on his own "ox-leather soles".

It was essential to arrive at a destination before sunset. Towns and cities closed their gates at dusk. Travelling in the dark ran the risk of running into armed robbers. Coach drivers were regularly set upon with swords, pistols and rifles. What went for roads were difficult to find in the day let alone night. They were of course pitch black.

Most of Doomer’s journey was made on foot over the dikes along the Loire but once, he and Shellinks hired men to take them to Orléans by boat but even then in 1646 it was easier said than done. Some stretches of the Loire were so shallow they had to get out and help drag the boat over sandbanks.

When they decided it was quicker on foot and abandoned the boat, they quarrelled with the 'barquiers' (boat men) who demanded their money for the whole journey as agreed. One of them reached for Doomer's sword. He said "it would have come to beating and fighting" had an innkeeper not intervened.

Back home in Amsterdam his hero Rembrandt was in financial difficulties. Although he was successful and had a good income he spent more that he earned. He bought a grand house and filled it with antiques. Unfortunately he fell behind with his mortgage payments which led to his bankruptcy.

In 1656 Rembrandt’s possessions, including his art collection, were sold at auction by his creditors. Doomer was doing so well he was able to buy many of Rembrandt’s drawings and sketch books which he spent hours copying.

Amboise didn’t quite get Rembrandt but did get his acolyte.

Post by Pamela, photography by Mark.