Copyright 2000 www.cosmopolis.ch Louis Gerber All rights
The Glory of the Golden Age -
17th century Dutch art at the Rijksmuseum in
For its 200th anniversary, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has
organized a magnificent exhibition on Dutch art of the Golden Age, the 17th
century. The museum considers itself today - as 200 years ago when it was
founded at the castle Huis ten Bosch under the name of "Nationale
Konst-Gallerij" - the "home" of Dutch art of the 17th century. The
Glory of the Golden Age is a logical continuation of the exhibitions held
at the museum in 1986 and 1993/94 dedicated to the period before the 17th
For its anniversary, the Rijksmuseum managed to attract
Dutch art works from around the world in order to complete its overview, e.g.
the still life on the right by Willem van Aelst comes from the Palazzo Pitti
in Florence or, among the most famous paintings, Rembrandt's The Anatomy of
Dr. Tulp (1632) which is normally on display in the Mauritshuis in Den
In 1555, Charles V handed over the power in the Netherlands to
his son Philip II. of Spain. His authoritarian style of government led in 1568
to an "uprising", as the 80-year war was called. The fight for
independence led to the division of the Netherlands, the Southern part
remained under the Spanish King and Catholicism, the Northern, protestant part
became the General States in 1581, named after the general assembly of the
seven provinces. The republic reached independence from Spain with the peace
treaty of 1648. In the 17th century, the Netherlands became one of the leading
trading nations thanks to its liberal system - and the arts flourished as
Willem Van Aelst (1627-1683):
Still Life with Fruit and Crystal Vase, 1652.
Photograph: exhibition catalogue.
Rembrandt (1606-1669): Beggars at the door, 1648.
Photograph: Exhibition catalogue.
Around 1600, art in the Netherlands evolves from mannerism,
influenced by other countries, to autochthon realism. Different centers
and styles flourished in Amsterdam, Haarlem, Utrecht and Delft, which is
represented with paintings by Jan Vermeer, Pieter the Hooch, Gabriel Metsu
and others. The works by the most highly esteemed Dutch artists of the
17th century, Rembrandt and Frans Hals, form another highlight, as well
as landscape and marine painting. Towards the end of the century, Dutch art comes again under
foreign influence, this time from the French court of Louis XIV, le
The two exhibition catalogues, one on paintings, sculpture, arts and
crafts, the other on drawings and prints, show the panorama of
developments in Dutch art, exemplified with the 200 exhibits at the
Rijksmuseum, and sum up today's
knowledge. But the reader also learns curious details such as the tulip
mania that reached its climax in 1636 when an exquisite tulip bulb could
fetch the price of an Amsterdam canal house! The frenzy came to an end in
1636/37 and ruined a lot of traders and buyers - speculation is not an
invention of 20th century stock markets. By the way, the tulip was only
introduced in Holland in the 16th century. It originally came from Turkey,
that's why it was such a rare and expensive plant.