Remarkable gift for Escher in The Palace: Two unknown M.C. Escher drawings

Maurits Cornelis Escher achieved world-wide fame with his optical illusions but it is less well known that he also made art for public spaces. In 1959-60, he designed a tile tableau with fish and birds, inspired by his famous print Sky and Water I (1938), for a villa in the south of Amsterdam. It was commissioned by Wolbert J. Vroom, a great admirer of Escher’s work, who was looking for a black-and-white image to decorate the facade of his newly built home. The Vroom family recently gifted two previously unseen Escher design drawings for this project to the museum. This remarkable gift also includes the extensive correspondence relating to the commission and family photos of the unveiling of the tableau, which Escher attended. The items will be displayed at Escher in The Palace from 17 September.

A unique commission
Wolbert J. Vroom and his wife Antonia H.M. Dreesmann contacted Escher in 1959 because they wanted a title tableau for the facade of their house at Dirk Schäferstraat 59 in the south of Amsterdam. Escher proposed to base the tableau on his print Sky and Water I in which fish gradually metamorphose into birds. The diamond-shaped design would add a diagonal dynamic to the modern villa’s orthogonal lines. Escher had the tiles made by De Porceleyne Fles, the earthenware manufacturer now known internationally as Royal Delft. Escher worked with them on several occasions, including on the production of tiles for schools in The Hague and in Baarn.

The two drawings give us an insight into the design process. One of the design drawings shows the search for the right composition. Escher came up with two variants, one with a horizontal emphasis, the other vertical. He made a drawing of the facade and covered the horizontal design with a flap of paper with the vertical version, enabling an easy comparison of the two options. This should have made it simple for the Vrooms to reach their decision but the extensive correspondence between Escher, Vroom, De Porceleyne Fles and the architect Lau Peters reveals tensions surrounding this important choice. The various parties discussed at length which design it should be before finally settling upon the horizontal, diamond-shaped design. Escher elaborated the design in a detailed drawing, on which he numbered all the tiles with his famous precision, leaving nothing to chance. The fabricator, De Porceleyne Fles, could then set to work.

Ultimately, all parties were enthusiastic about the result, as is evident from a letter from De Porceleyne Fles to Vroom: ‘We all agree that this tableau will truly be a jewel on your home.’ The tiles were delivered and installed in the spring of 1960 and unveiled in the presence of Mr and Mrs Vroom, the architect Lau Peters and Escher. The tableau can still be seen on the villa on Dirk Schäferstraat.

The design drawings, photographs, letters and a few spare tiles can be seen in a specially designed display in the museum. Willem de Winter, appraiser from E.J. van Wisselingh & Co. and expert at Tussen Kunst & Kitsch, helped with the appraisal and is excited by this wonderful discovery: “The highlights of this exceptional gift are the drawings of the tableau. You rarely find drawings of this kind today. And although it is an unknown design by Escher, it is a recognisable image because of the characteristic fish and birds. What a find!”