Dutch Republic

A prosperous middle class eager to express its status and its new sense of national pride, replaced the church and monarchy as the primary patrons of art.

1600 - 1700

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Ole Worm, <em>Museum Wormianum</em>
Ole Worm, Museum Wormianum

This catalog describes a very particular kind of room: a 17th-century curiosity cabinet.

Rachel Ruysch, <em>Fruit and Insects</em>
Rachel Ruysch, Fruit and Insects

No wonder Ruysch treats each element of this still life like a scientific specimen—her father preserved insects.

The Dutch art market in the 17th century
The Dutch art market in the 17th century

More than 5 million artworks were produced in 17th-century Holland in the span of about 100 years

Painting Brazil for the Dutch art market, Frans Post, <em>Landscape with Ruins in Olinda</em>
Painting Brazil for the Dutch art market, Frans Post, Landscape with Ruins in Olinda

Idealized depictions of sugar plantations and African laborers in Dutch-colonial Brazil were popular in the Dutch art market in the 17th century

Model of the Dutch East India Company ship “Valkenisse”
Model of the Dutch East India Company ship “Valkenisse”

From Asia to the Netherlands, the Dutch East India Company dominated maritime trade in the 17th and 18th centuries

Michaelina Wautier, <em>The Five Senses</em>
Michaelina Wautier, The Five Senses

This willfully forgotten Dutch artist explores how we experience the world around us during the time of the Scientific Revolution.

Symbolism and meaning in Dutch still life painting
Symbolism and meaning in Dutch still life painting

This collection of objects speaks to the international mercantile culture and wealth of the Netherlands in the 17th century.

Early Dutch Torah Finials
Early Dutch Torah Finials

One of the earliest of its type, these architectural finials would have decorated a Torah, the sacred text of Judaism, and feature dragon-like creatures and bells

Rembrandt, <em>Abraham Francen</em>
Rembrandt, Abraham Francen

This intimate portrait of Rembrandt's friend and his collection also hints at the city of Amsterdam's wealth and global connections at this time

A Dutch doll house
A Dutch doll house

Tour a doll’s house modeled after a 17th-century Dutch home

Osias Beert, <em>Still Life with Various Vessels on a Table</em>
Osias Beert, Still Life with Various Vessels on a Table

What lies behind this ornate display of pewter, oysters, blue-and-white porcelain, and sugary sweets?

Rembrandt, <em>Christ Preaching (Hundred Guilder Print)</em>
Rembrandt, Christ Preaching (Hundred Guilder Print)

One of Rembrandt’s most technically ambitious prints has been primarily known more for its price tag than for its subject: The Hundred Guilder Print.

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