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 Teyler's Museum. This was not the value of his entire estate. He also founded Teylers Hofje in his name, and made important donations to individuals in the Mennonite community.
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Teyler was an active follower of the Scottish Enlightenment, being descended from wealthy Scots merchants. His name is derived from the Scottish Tailor. He married the lady Helena Wynands Verschaave in 1728.[1]He was an active member of the "Waterlander" mennonite community and became a trustee of the city orphanage from 1750 onwards.[2] 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 Carl Linnaeus. Scottish bankers such as Teyler, Clifford, and Hope & Co. were all patrons of the arts and sciences. Teyler was also active in the Haarlem Mennonite community with his wife, and together they founded a Mennonite hofje in the Teyler name in 1752.[3] Unlike other Mennonite hofjes of Haarlem, however, it was not necessary for its members to be Mennonites.
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. Roman 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 Teyler's Museum, and has had close ties with Teyler's legacy ever since.
His will and testament was written in 1756 after Teyler's wife died, only a few years after this science society was founded.[2] 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 befitted their purpose, resulting in a continuously changing charter that has led to the eclectic Teyler's Museum as it exists today. Under the will three societies were established, for religion, science, and art, which became known as the first, second and third societies.
His former home in Haarlem with its entrance on the Damstraat is joined to the Teyler's Museum at the rear through a side door in the Oval room. Today his house is known as the "Fundatiehuis" and is open only by appointment and once a year on "Monumentendag".