In the ostrich

In the 16th century the house was called IN DEN STROUS (pronounced Stroes, a family name which still exists). Afterwards it changed hands.
When Bartholomeus Rijsack borrowed two thousand guilders in 1730 to have his wooden house 'den voogel struys' on the Vrijthof rebuilt in stone, the existing signboard was replaced by a gable stone.
'Then they will work back up to its second station and position in the facade his ostrich hewn in blue stone according to model.'

Vrijthof, drawing by Joshua de Grave 1669, on the corner house the signboard of the ostrich.

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The model was necessary, for it is not likely that the gable stone maker had ever seen an ostrich in real life. The ostrich shown here in the stone and the one in the engraving look like identical twins, so it is most likely that the print was taken as an example. The print is a detail from one of the thirty very popular copper engravings of birds from the series Avium Vivae Icones by the Antwerp engraver Adriaen Collaert (1560-1618).

A riddle: How is it possible that a cannonball hit a facade in 1673 (on the front above the rightmost window of the first floor) and can be seen there, whereas this facade was built completely new in 1730?

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