This painting is a six-panel (hexaptych) of doors in Gouda. It shows special front doors of buildings and houses in Gouda.
At the top left is the door of the former Cellebroedersklooster on the Groeneweg. The Cellebroedersklooster was built in the 14th century and it was also the former Latin school. After the Reformation, it was decided in 1573 to house the Latin school of Gouda, later gymnasium, in the monastery complex. As a reminder of this period, above the entrance of the building is written: "Praesidium atque decus quae sunt et gaudia vitae - Formant hic animos Graeca Latina rudes", roughly translated: "To be a support, ornament and source of joy in life , Greek and Latin form here the still rough spirit".
The entrance door of the former Catharina Gasthuis (now Museum Gouda) is painted in the upper right corner of the canvas. The guest house is mentioned in a deed from 1382, but must be older: it was rebuilt in 1363 after a city fire. The hospital was given the name Catharina Gasthuis, because the altar of the hospital was dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria, patroness of the diocese of Utrecht, to which Gouda belonged.
The front door and part of the facade left in the middle belongs to the house De Moriaan. The current facade in the Dutch Renaissance style was built around 1617. The first mention of the house dates from 1513. Until 1605 a bakery De Twaelff Halff Maenen was located in the building. After that it became a grocery store with the name In de Goecoop. The facing stone depicted came from this period and bore the motto: Walk, walk, this is in the Goecoop. At the end of the 17th century it became a tobacco, coffee and tea shop. The facade decoration with the tobacco carts dates from the 17th century and the signboard with the Morian from the 18th century.
The front door and facade of the house in the center right panel are from the Admiraalshuis at Turfmarkt 142 in Gouda. The house on Turfmarkt was bought in 1667 by Admiral Jan den Haen with the reward of 10,000 English pounds he had received for his capture of the Great Charity at the Battle of Lowestoft during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. Later, Vice Admiral Roemer Vlacq lived in this house. The latter had the building fitted with a rococo facade in natural stone in 1757. Vlacq was one of the wealthiest inhabitants of Gouda. In this house he kept his extensive collection of approximately one hundred paintings. His wine cellar was the largest in the city.
The door on the bottom left panel, like the entrance door at the top right, belongs to Museum Gouda. It is the entrance to the guest house chapel. The chapel was built in 1474. Originally the chapel belonged to the hospital as a guest house chapel. After the reform, the chapel first served as a storehouse. In 1610 it was turned into a church again. At the end of the 19th century, the building served for some time as a storage area for a local brewer. After the restoration in 1979 and 1980, the chapel was returned to its original state. Since that time, the chapel has served as the exhibition space of the Museum Gouda, with which it is directly connected.
Finally, the panel at the bottom right shows the front door and part of the facade of 't Vergulde Lam (Lage Gouwe 14). The building dating from 1725 was given an eclectic storefront and shop fittings for coffee and tea trade in 1881 by M.J. camp houses.
