The house “De Vijf Werelddelen” (The Five Continents) – also known as Het Bootje (The Little Boat) – was designed by architect Frans Smet-Verhas in 1901. It is renowned for its originality and extravagance in the Belgian Art Nouveau style.
Galerie photos
Torsade de Pointes, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Description
This imposing corner building is characterized by several elements typical of Art Nouveau. The most striking feature is a ship’s prow that seems to emerge from the corner of the building between the first and second floors. This white prow bears the initials of P. Roeis, an Antwerp shipowner and patron of the building. The residents of Antwerp have nicknamed this building ‘t Bootje’ (the Little Boat). A circular loggia resting on this prow is divided into five parts, each featuring stained glass windows representing the five continents. Above the loggia is a small terrace protected by a wrought iron balcony in the shape of lightning bolts symbolizing a storm at sea.
Above the stone base, the building is constructed of beige bricks punctuated with bands of black and sky blue bricks or decorated with geometric designs. The Schildersstraat façade is the narrowest and comprises four levels and an attic. The double entrance door is decorated with wrought iron. On the first floor, there is a large horseshoe arch window with small panes, as is the case with most of the windows in the house.
The façade on Plaatsnijdersstraat comprises two bays of four stories and attic space, one bay of three stories, and, at the rear, an open terrace topped with a glass roof. Sgraffito decorations with floral motifs adorn the six windows on the third floor. A cornice (with alternating levels on the Plaatsnijdersstraat side) runs along the façades. Several pilasters and chimneys dominate the building from the roofs.
