Apeldoorn and Paleis Het Loo have been neighbours since the 17th century.
In 2023, the palace – built by Stadtholder William III and Mary Stuart – was completely renovated. However, there are few references to Paleis Het Loo in Apeldoorn, so the brief for this commission was to design something for the new edgy Catharina Amaliapark that would establish a connection between the city and the garden vases of Paleis Het Loo.
William and Mary married when they were 27 and 15 years old. Mary had to cry, she thought Willem was ugly: he had a huge hooked nose. Yet they became very fond of each other. Together they became also King and Queen of England, collected art and exhibited it, and loved gardens and flowers.
Under Mary, greenhouse culture developed enormously in the Netherlands and England, making it possible to put fresh cut flowers in vases even in winter. The gardens of Paleis Het Loo were adorned with large Delft blue garden vases, often octagonal in shape. These vases feature many references to their dual kingship: Scottish thistles, royal lilies and English roses.
The current dutch Crown Princess Catharina Amalia also had many flowers named after her at the age of 15: a peony, a fuchsia, a tulip...
The PARADE PLANTERS for Amaliapark in Apeldoorn bring together all of the above aspects. The flowers of Mary and Amalia, the octagonal vase shapes that fold around the cut-outs in the park like slices of cake, the blue and white of Delftware and... the hooked nose of William, which can be found in the seat profile of the benches, made from oak from the grounds of Paleis Het Loo.
There are four benches in total throughout the park: a 1/8, 3/8, 4/8 and 6/8 model.
commission: gemeente Apeldoorn
involved: Anna Koppmann, Denis Bacal, Fons Snelder & team (Ljipke, Tinka, Bart, Jaques)
materials: steel, stainless steel, oak