169 - Dom Hans van der Laan & Jan de Jong (Bossche School)

Dom Hans van der Laan & Jan de Jong (Bossche School) Bench Wood Commissioned for the Sint-Willibrorduskerk Circa 1960 H86 L302 P67 cm An exceptional and rare pew, designed by the Dutch Benedictine monk and architect Dom Hans van der Laan, and crafted by architect Jan de Jong for the Sint-Willibrorduskerk in Almelo (Netherlands). A close collaborator of Dom Hans van der Laan, Jan de Jong also designed the architecture and interior of the church. This piece is part of a body of work emblematic of the so-called Bossche School, now recognized for its rigor and unique architectural language. The pew was crafted by Jan de Jong according to Dom Hans van der Laan’s precise plans, which were based on his “numerical-plastic system”—a fundamental theory in which proportions and scale derive from harmonious mathematical ratios. A piece of liturgical furniture of great formal coherence, it stands as a major testament to this unique approach to architecture and design. A Benedictine monk and architect, Dom Hans van der Laan developed the “plastic number,” a system of proportions based on harmonic mathematical ratios, which governs both architecture and furnishings. Around him, the School of 's-Hertogenbosch (Bossche School) took shape, with architect Jan de Jong as one of its closest collaborators. This bench, crafted by de Jong according to van der Laan’s plans for the Sint-Willibrorduskerk in Almelo—for which de Jong also designed the architecture and interior layout—strictly adheres to these principles. Measuring over three meters in length, it exemplifies a design in which every dimension stems from the same logic.