Untitled (1947) Adriaan van der Plas

In 1939, construction of the Central Tax Office was started on Puntegaalstraat (this street is therefore popularly referred to as Pluk-me-kaalstraat). Due to the war and the scarcity of material after the war, the Rijksgebouw could not be used until 1949. The Rotterdam sculptor Adriaan van der Plas was commissioned by the Government Buildings Agency to make a number of sculptures for the building. At the very top of the facade is the coat of arms of the Kingdom of the Netherlands: the national coat of arms consisting of a checkered shield with a lion, sword and arrows. Below it is the motto 'Je Maintiendrai'. The composition of the limestone relief is traditional. The work is large, unwieldy and massive, giving it a classical grandeur. The ornaments in this form perfectly meet the assignment for a tax building and Van der Plas shows great craftsmanship with this. There are two other smaller works on either side of the entrance, so-called crownings on the east and west facades. Each work is placed above a round window and consists of three coats of arms. For example, the coats of arms of Rotterdam and South Holland are depicted. One work contains the text 'Anno Domini 1947'. The building was designated a national monument in 2002.