Pieter Teyler van der Hulst

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Pieter Teyler van der Hulst by Wybrand Hendricks.

Side entrance of the Teylers Museum on the Damstraat and Pieter Teyler's original front door.

Teylers Hofje

Pieter Teyler van der Hulst (25 March 1702, Haarlem – 8 April 1778, Haarlem) was a wealthy Dutch Mennonite merchant, who died childless, leaving a legacy of two million florins to the pursuit of religion, arts and science in his hometown, that led to the formation of the Teylers Museum. This was not the value of his entire will. More in keeping with the traditions of great men his day, he also founded a hofje in his name, and made important donations to individuals in the Mennonite community.

Teyler was an active follower of the Scottish Enlightenment, being related to wealthy Scots merchants. His name is derived from the Scottish Tailor. He made his wealth as a silk and cloth merchant, but from 1763 he became more and more active as a banker. He made loans to his Haarlem contemporaries, including to his fellow Scot and neighbor George Clifford III, the wealthy Amsterdam merchant known for sponsoring Linneaus. Scottish bankers such as Teyler, Clifford, and Hope & Co. were all patrons of the arts and sciences. In the 18th century, the ruling classes of Amsterdam (where Teyler had his banking offices) and Haarlem were all Protestants, as was the Dutch Stadtholder. Catholics, Mennonites, Quakers, and others were unable to participate in organisations such as the Dutch Society of Science (Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen), which was started in Haarlem in 1752 with the purpose of pursuing science in all aspects. Ironically this society moved in 1831 across the Spaarne river from the Teyler's Museum, and has had close ties with Teyler's legacy ever since.

His will and testament was written up in 1756 after Teyler's wife died, only a few years after this science society was opened. Just as the science society, the original terms in the Teyler will define a yearly science prize to be awarded by the keepers of his library, art and science collection. These 'keepers' became champions of art and science in their own right, periodically reinterpreting the will as befit their purpose, resulting in a continuously changing charter that has led to the eclectic Teyler's Museum as it exists today.