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Who does not know him? The Dockworker', erected in 1952 in memory of the Amsterdam February Strike of 1941. And every year at the commemoration of the strike again in the media. Its creator Mari Andriessen also designed the statue of jurist Johannes Voet (1647-1713), which stands in front of the Supreme Court.

Of course, the unyielding dockworker and the quietly seated Voet differ from each other. But there are also similarities. In depicting both figures, Andriessen placed the accent on gesture and posture, thus enhancing their emotional character. The Dockworker' stands with clenched fists, as a symbol of resistance. Voet, the internationally renowned lawyer, is accessible and sympathetic. He makes an inviting gesture, as if to say: 'Come, take note of the law book', which rests on his right leg. Voet taught Roman and Dutch law and was professor in Utrecht and later, until his death, in Leiden. Andriessen was undoubtedly aware of this.

The statue by Voet, together with five other statues of jurists, was placed on the steps of the building of the Supreme Court on the Plein in 1938. The outdated building (1861) had been thoroughly renovated and redesigned by government architect G.C. Bremer. Numerous artists collaborated on this project and a true 'Gesamtkunstwerk' was created. At the time, the makers of the six sculptures belonged to the vanguard of Dutch sculptural art.

At the end of the 1980s, the Supreme Court had to make way for the expansion of the Lower House. In 1988, the six statues ended up on Kazernestraat, somewhat hidden between two buildings of the new accommodation of the Supreme Court. Since the move of the Supreme Court to new premises on the Korte Voorhout in 2016, they are once again prominently in view. In front of the elongated façade, the gentlemen and the great craftsmanship of their makers are once again shown to their best advantage.