The architecture and perception of the hermitage (1770-1860)

The hut, the hermit (doll) and the penchant for solitude in the Dutch landscape garden

Abstract

The hermitage is a little researched and understood garden ornament. The hermitage as a place of solitary retreat occurs from antiquity to the late nineteenth century because it appealed to people in different periods and could be easily adapted to the specific wishes of the noble, religious or intellectual owner and the taste of the age. This article presents new research into the hermitage on Dutch country estates, based on an analysis of for sale notices, primary source research (mainly travellers’ tales) and a review of the literature. The hermitage was a widespread phenomenon in the Netherlands. The current inventory has almost tripled the number of known country-estate hermitages from 36 to over a hundred. Thanks to this new, larger data set it was possible to make more accurate statements about the period in which the hermitage was popular, about its distribution in the Netherlands, its location in the garden, its appearance and its significance.

A search through digitally accessible newspapers led to the discovery of many slightly later, smaller hermitages. And whereas Gelderland had previously been regarded as the foremost hermitage province, in light of current knowledge that perception has now swung in favour of Holland. This has also served to accentuate the bourgeois character of the hermitage: it was most prevalent on the country estates of urban regents, located close to the city. Hermitages were initially regarded as a rarity, later as a regular feature of landscape-style private parks, although they were never the most important ornament of such parks. Research has revealed that the location was nearly always isolated. The interior was austere, usually consisting of one or more chairs, a bench or bed, a skull or coffin, an hourglass, books and a (wooden) hermit doll. Evidence suggesting that the hermitage design was highly standardized can also be found in descriptions of hermit’s huts in travel reports.

Contrary to what is often assumed, the popularity of the hermitage suggests that the Dutch were not immune to Romanticism. The fact that the sources provide so little evidence of cynicism vis-à-vis the phenomenon of the hermitage and the hermit supports this thesis. However, the hermit’s hut satisfied a more universal need than mere romanticism: throughout history rooms have been created to which people – usually members of the elite – could withdraw. In that sense the hermitage was a counterpart of the cabinet or study. What remained after the exalted emotions and ideas of Romanticism had subsided, was the walk to the hermitage and, upon arrival, the tranquillity and the view. The Dutch hermitage is in every respect a reflection of the Dutch country estate: both were primarily bourgeois, widespread, urban, and modest in size and furnishing.