bought this palace on the Lange Voorhout in 1896 as a winter residence. She held court here into the nineteen thirties, and the royal family kept using the building afterwards. Since the start of this century it has held the work of a printmaker who was poor at mathematics at school and who was later adopted by mathematicians.
Maurits Cornelis Escher drew staircases that climb forever, hands that draw themselves and fish that turn into birds along the way. covers seven metres of wall here.
On New Year's Day 1969 the post brought him a letter from Mick Jagger. The singer of the Rolling Stones admired his work and asked him to make a record sleeve. The letter opened with "Dear Maurits". Escher had it answered that he lacked the time, and signed off by pointing out that to Mr Jagger he was called M.C. Escher.
Above the rooms hang chandeliers by Hans van Bentem, shaped as a skull, a spider and a spaceship. They were made for this building and suit the draughtsman who lives here now.
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Sources. Story: Escher in Het Paleis, story series on Escher and the Rolling Stones (escherinhetpaleis.nl). Palace Lange Voorhout: Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed. Chandeliers: Hans van Bentem, commissioned by the museum. Photos: Source photo: Escher in het Paleis, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
