D
he Great Golden Age Book gives a complete overview of the art
t
from one of the most remarkable periods in Dutch history.
The seventeenth century is often known as the Dutch Golden Age, not only because of the great wealth the country amassed
H
P A
I
N
T
in
g s
t h e g r ea t
book
book
G O L D E N AGE
T C
G O L D E N AGE
t h e g r ea t
U
but also because of the impressive cultural flowering. The art
Previous books in this serie
of painting in particular reached a high point. Throughout the Het Grote 40-45 Boek
After graduating, Jeroen Giltaij
that still evoke our admiration more than four centuries later.
RenĂŠ Kok en Erik Somers
became assistant curator of
Their paintings are the jewels in the collections of museums all
in collaboration with the NIOD
drawings in 1972 at the Museum
over the world.
Boijmans Van Beuningen, where
At the start of the seventeenth century, artists began painting
he wrote the catalogue of the
landscapes, still lifes, scenes from everyday life, marine pictures
drawings of Rembrandt and his
and church interiors in a way that had never been done before. It
school. In 1978, he became head
was as if the artists wanted to record daily life around them, but
curator of old paintings and
they all did this in their studios at their easels. These painters
sculptures, in which capacity he
had a degree of imaginative power that we find difficult to
organised various exhibitions
imagine. Throughout the century, talented new artists continued
including exhibitions on themes
to emerge with their own styles. The art of the Dutch Golden Age
in seventeenth-century painting.
is characterised by ceaseless creativity, huge levels of production
The catalogue of the exhibition on
and a style that was unique and typical of that time. The great
architectural painting was awarded
names of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Frans Hals are world famous
the Prix Minda de Gunzburg
but the paintings of the lesser known old masters are often
in 1991. In 1997 he obtained a
wonderful, splendid, exquisite or imposing.
Sicilian collector Antonio Ruffo,
The Great Golden Age Book was written and put together by Jeroen
who commissioned paintings from
Giltaij, the former head curator of Old Master Paintings at the
Rembrandt. His brief overview of
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.
Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies Het Grote Jaren 50 Boek Paul Brood, RenĂŠ Kok en Erik Somers in collaboration with the National
P A I N T in g s
doctorate for his thesis on the
D U T C H
century, countless highly talented artists created masterpieces
Archives of the Netherlands
Het Grote Boerderijen Boek Ben Kooij en Judith Toebast In collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands Het Grote Gouden Eeuw Boek Jeroen Giltaij
t h e g r ea t
the paintings of the Dutch Golden
G O L D E N AGE
Age was published in 2004 and served as the starting point for this book.
book www.wbooks.com
j e ro e n g i lta i j
c on t en t Preface
5
Introduction
6
1
The crucible: Haarlem
15
2 Mannerism and Caravaggism in Utrecht
27
3 The Hague, Delft and Amsterdam at the start of the century
47
4
L andscape painting in the first half of the century
59
5
T he still life in the first half of the century
87
6
Portrait Painters
7 Painters of everyday life in the first half of the century 8
R embrandt and his pupils: emerging and flourishing
105 141 159
9 Rembrandt and his pupils: Late works
187
1 0 Landscape painting in the second half of the century
207
1 1 Italianate landscape painters
223
1 2 A rchitectural painters
243
1 3 Marine painters
259
1 4 History painters
277
1 5 The decoration of the Huis ten Bosch
295
1 6 The still life in the second half of the century
299
1 7 P ainters of everyday life in the second half of the century
315
1 8 Townscapes
341
1 9 Animal painters
357
2 0 Paintings for the Amsterdam town hall
365
2 1 The final years of the Dutch Golden Age
371
Literature
378
Index of artists
382
Colophon
384
A mb rosi u s B o s sc h a ert (1573-1621) Vase with Flowers in a Window, c. 1618 (detail) Panel, 64 x 46 cm. the hague, Mauritshuis
p r e fac e
The seventeenth century is often called the Golden Age of
go and look at the original paintings. After all, that is the only
the Netherlands, and the paintings produced in the Dutch
way to appreciate them properly; the images in the book can
Republic during that period are an impressive aspect of Dutch
never be more than reproductions.
history. The century saw the rise of one artist after another,
The website of the Netherlands Institute for Art History was
often demonstrating incredible creativity and sometimes
used for the spelling of the artists’ names and their dates
producing large numbers of paintings. It has been estimated
of birth and death (rkdartists) and to some extent for the
that there must have been between fifty and a hundred
selection of the paintings (rkdimages). It should be noted that
thousand artists in the period from 1580 to 1800, producing
there are one or two deviations from the spellings on the
between five and ten million paintings in total. Of course
website for various reasons. Other important websites were
these were not just the works of the great masters we know
those of the Rijksmuseum and the Mauritshuis. Quotes from
today, but it does show how deeply painting was embedded
the Bible and the spelling of biblical names are taken from
in the life of the Dutch Republic.
the Good News Bible (1992). The list of references contains
This book looks at those artists and their paintings in the
the literature consulted specifically for this book rather
period from around 1590 to around 1710. The intention was
than being a general overview. The key source for the text
to give a brief overview, making grateful use of the wealth of
and chapters was the book Het Gouden Eeuw Boek (The Golden
literature on the subject. In the course of writing the book, a
Age Book), compiled by the current author and published
good 230 artists were selected, with more than 320 paintings
by Waanders in 2004, with Ronald de Leeuw providing the
— a selection that had to take account of the intended size
introduction and selecting the images.
of the book. The artists and their paintings are discussed
The collaboration with the publishers Henk van de Wal and
and presented in twenty-one chapters in an attempt to
Johan de Bruijn went very smoothly and was a most enjoyable
give a representative impression of the art of the Golden
experience, for which I would like to thank them very much.
Age. The topics covered by these chapters were often more
Finally, I would also like to thank Prof. Volker Manuth of
or less suggested by the paintings themselves, for example
the Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands, who
a particular movement, paintings of a certain subject or a
knows a great deal about Dutch art and the literature in this
particular project. The result was a diversity of chapters
field, and has published widely on the subject. He was willing
of varying length that allowed the most important artists
to read the draft of this book and made some useful and
to be discussed in a clear overview. It should be noted that
important comments. In putting together this book, I always
not all paintings could be fitted into this scheme so neatly,
found it a great privilege to be so closely involved with the art
and I hope some allowance will be made for the occasional
of the Dutch Golden Age.
expedient solution. In principle, the paintings in the book have been chosen from the collections of Dutch museums, especially those in
Jeroen Giltaij
Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam, as they happen to have the most important paintings. However, in one or two cases it was necessary to look abroad for examples of a work by a particular artist, because there were none in Dutch museums. Once you have read this book, you should really
P ie t er S a e n r eda m (1597-1665) Interior of the Sint-Odulphuskerk in Assendelft, seen from the Choir facing West, 1649 (detail) Panel, 50 x 76 cm. amsterdam, rijksmuseum
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p r efac e
5
314
sc hil der s va n he t dagel ij k s l e v e n i n de t w eede hel f t va n de eeu w
h e t g r ot e g o u d e n e e u w b o e k
17
painters of e v e r y da y l i f e i n t h e s e c ond h al f o f t h e c en t u r y
t
here were painters of everyday life in the second
1
half of the seventeenth century who would win
Ger a r d D ou (1613-1675)
great acclaim for their work. One of them is the
The Quack, 1652
Leiden master Gerard Dou (1613-1675). He spent
Panel, 112.4 x 84.4 cm.
three years from 1628 as an apprentice in Rembrandt’s studio.
Rotterdam, museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
At that time he had a very refined painting technique, as
Dou has used a panel, which surprisingly is made from tropical cedar
could be seen for example in his painting Jeremiah Lamenting
wood, and has painted the quack and his audience with a very fine
the Destruction of Jerusalem, from 1630 (Chapter 8, fig. 3). Dou
brush. The quack is standing on a platform and holding up a small
developed his style to become even finer, establishing a reputation for this. He became the leading member of the group of artists known as the Leiden ‘Fine’ painters, with a large number of pupils. His largest painting, The Quack from 1652, is now in the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (fig. 1).
bottle that he is recommending as a medicine. But all sorts of strange things are happening at the same time, such as the boy trying to attract a bird, the woman wiping her child’s bottom next to the pancake dough and the boy stealing the woman’s purse. The artist himself is looking out of the window at us, seemingly saying that the people want to be deceived and that art deceives too.
It shows a man dressed as an actor trying to sell so-called medicines to the people gathered around. The meaning of the picture seems to be that the people want to be deceived. The artist has depicted himself in the window with a palette and brushes; he seems to be saying that art is also deception — it is not real, even though it might look real. Most of his pictures have just a few figures, as in the painting A Young Woman at her Toilet from 1667, which is also in the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (fig. 3). The curtain has been pulled up on the right to give a view of a woman who is having her hair cut by a maid. She is looking in the mirror, which is turned towards us so that we can see her face. The portrayal of the fabrics is so meticulous that you can almost feel the material. However, the depiction of the fabrics in the work of Gerard ter Borch (1617-1681) is perhaps even more refined. This artist was mentioned earlier in the chapter on portraits (Chapter 6). His paintings of scenes of everyday life are highly poetic and so detailed that you scarcely notice they are made of paint. A high point in his work is the painting A Mother Combing the Hair of her Child, from around 1652/1653, now in the Mauritshuis (fig. 2). In this painting, a mother sits on a chair and lets
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her child lean back on her between her legs so that she can
2
examine the child’s hair for lice with a comb. The child has long
Ger a r d t er B orc h (1617-1681)
blond hair and would seem to be a boy, going by the clothes.
A Mother Combing the Hair of her Child, c. 1652/1653
This picture is about taking care of others and domesticity.
Panel, 33.5 x 29 cm.
Ter Borch is best known for his interiors featuring elegant
the hague, Mauritshuis
figures. The Rijksmuseum has Gallant Conversation, from about
The mother is sitting on a chair next to the window, with the light
1654 (fig. 4). A young man is sitting on a chair in a room with
entering from the right. Her son is leaning with his back on her
a four-poster bed in the background. He has one leg resting
knees so that she can check his blond hair for lice with a comb. He
on the other and is holding his hat in his lap. He is looking at a woman, whom we see from behind, and gesturing with his hand. A second woman is sitting on a chair and sipping a glass of wine. The nature of the events being portrayed is often
is waiting for her to finish with his eyes to one side. A pitcher and a glass stand on a shelf in the dark in the background. Ter Borch often used his family as figures in his paintings, and the woman could be his stepmother and the boy his seven-year-old half-brother.
rather mysterious in Ter Borch’s works. For instance, we may wonder here what the man is saying to the woman and what
3
this picture means.
Ger a r d D ou (1613-1675)
Working in Rotterdam at that time was an artist named
A Young Woman at her Toilet, 1667
Ludolf de Jongh (1616-1679), who is not so well known. He
Panel, 75.5 x 58 cm.
had studied with Jan van Bijlert in Utrecht (Chapter 2). The
Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
Museum Rotterdam has a a remarkable painting by him, Young
The woman is looking in the mirror in such a way that we can see her
Woman at the Virginal from 1651 (fig. 5). The young woman is
face. A curtain is pushed to one side in the richly decorated interior
playing the virginal with her right hand while she holds a rose
and a gilt and silver ewer on a gilt and silver plate stands on the table.
in her left hand and smiles at us. The painting is not a portrait, it shows a moment in everyday life, as does the painting by Metsu of the same subject that is discussed later (fig. 12).
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On the ground is a stone wine cooler on a stand with four lion’s feet. These objects emphasise the wealth. The painting on the back wall that can just be made out is a self-portrait of the artist from 1663 that has survived to this day.
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4
5
Ger a r d t er B orc h (1617-1681)
Lu d ol f de Jongh (1616-1679)
Gallant Conversation, c. 1654
Young Woman at the Virginal, 1651
Canvas, 71 x 73 cm.
Canvas, 136 x 104.5 cm.
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
Rotterdam, Museum Rotterdam
A young man is sitting in a chair with his hat on his lap. He looks
The woman has turned to give us a friendly look as she plays the
at the woman, whom we see on the left from behind, and gestures
virginal with her right hand and holds a rose in her left hand. You
with his hand. She is wearing a splendid white satin dress. Another
might wonder if this might be a portrait but it is not. The smile, the
young woman is sitting in the background drinking from a glass. On
rose and the music make this an attractive subject.
the left is a table with a looking glass that has been opened up and a powder brush. There is a four-poster bed in the background and a dog is walking past on the right. We would like to know what is going on in this painting but, as so often with Ter Borch, we can only guess.
6
Em a n u el de W i t t e (1617-1692) Interior with a Woman at the Virginal, c. 1660 Canvas, 77.5 x 104.5 cm. Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, on loan from the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands
The architectural painter Emanuel de Witte gives a view of various rooms one after another, whereby the floor tiles and light create an intriguing pattern. A woman on the right is playing the virginal; her eyes can be seen in the mirror. On the left, a man has put his clothes on the chair and is lying in the four-poster bed. The maid in the background is sweeping the floor.
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There is a painting of a similar subject by Emanuel de
bucket on her arm has come in to discuss the work on a jacket.
Witte (1617-1692), an artist who was actually specialised in
There is a painting of a river scene in a black frame on the wall.
architectural paintings (Chapter 12). His Interior with a Woman
This is a demonstration of the remark by the English traveller
at the Virginal, which dates from about 1660, is in the Museum
Peter Mundy in 1640 that was mentioned in the Introduction,
Boijmans Van Beuningen (fig. 6). It is clear from this that De
saying that even the butchers and cobblers had paintings on
Witte was primarily an architectural painter, but the focus of
their walls in Holland.
the painting is on the woman playing music, seen from behind
One of the most famous artists of the seventeenth century is
but also from the front in the mirror, making the painting
Jan Steen (1626-1679). He was born and died in Leiden but he
essentially a scene from everyday life.
also lived for a number of years in The Hague, Delft, Warmond
Quiringh van Brekelenkam (after 1622-c. 1669), who was a
and Haarlem. In The Hague, he married the daughter of
pupil of Gerard Dou, had a wonderful specialty: pictures of
the landscape painter Jan van Goyen (Chapter 4) in 1649. In
trades, such as the coppersmith, the cobbler and the tailor. The
Leiden, he became dean of the guild and also ran an inn.
Rijksmuseum has The Tailor’s Workshop from 1661, in which the
The Mauritshuis has the small painting Girl Eating Oysters,
tailor and his two apprentices sit cross-legged on the table to
dating from around 1658/1660 (fig. 8). The girl is smiling at us
prevent the fabric from becoming dirty (fig. 7). A woman with a
seductively as she pours salt on an open oyster. Oysters were
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320
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7
Qu ir i ngh va n B r ek el e n k a m (after 1622-c. 1669)
considered to be an aphrodisiac in the seventeenth century.
The Tailor’s Workshop, 1661
The picture was painted in Warmond, a village close to Leiden
Canvas, 66 x 53 cm.
where his good friend and ‘fine’ painter Frans van Mieris
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
lived, who will be discussed later. Van Mieris may have had
The tailor and his two young apprentices are sitting cross-legged on
some influence on Jan Steen’s fine painting technique. The
the table, working by the light from the window. A woman has entered
equally seductive painting Woman at her Toilet by Jan Steen
and is examining the jacket on the table. There are scissors and a pin
in the Rijksmuseum dates from the same period, namely
on the table, a pin cushion is hanging on the wall and an iron can be seen on the floor. There is a painting of a river scene in a black frame on the wall. So this is what a tailor’s workshop looked like in the seventeenth century.
around 1655/1660 (fig. 9). In it, a woman is sitting on a bed and pulling off her red stocking, lifting her knee right up so that we are able to see under her skirt. She does not seem to be aware of this at all. The Dutch have the expression “a Jan Steen household” for a disorderly house but the large painting “The Way you Hear it, is the Way you Sing it”, from 1665 and in
8
Ja n S t ee n (1626-1679)
the Mauritshuis, is literally a Jan Steen household as the artist
Girl Eating Oysters, c. 1658/1660
has portrayed himself and his family as a merry crowd with
Panel, 20.5 x 14.5 cm.
a great deal of drink and laughter (fig. 10). The old woman
the hague, Mauritshuis
is reading out the painting’s title (“Soo voer gesongen, soo na
The girl looks at us seductively as she sprinkles a pinch of salt on an
gepepen” in Dutch), which means that the young learn from the
open oyster. A jug with a silver lid is standing on the table, as well as a
old. Jan Steen himself is sitting behind the table and laughing
glass of wine, a silver dish with a bread roll, a knife, some salt and a bag
as he passes a pipe to his son Cornelis to smoke, while his son
of peppercorns. More oysters are being opened in the kitchen in the background; they were regarded as an aphrodisiac in the seventeenth century.
Thaddeus plays the bagpipes. His daughter Eva is on the far right. The woman on the left who is holding out her glass for more is his wife Griet. The parents are clearly not setting a good example here. Another saying — “Easy Come, Easy Go” — is shown on a painting from 1661 that is now in the Museum
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10
Ja n S t ee n (1626-1679)
Ja n St ee n (1626-1679)
Woman at her Toilet, c. 1655/1660
“The Way you Hear it, is the Way you Sing it”, c. 1665
Arched panel, 37 x 27.5 cm.
Canvas, 134 x 163 cm.
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
the hague, Mauritshuis
Given the indentations under her knees, the woman must be pulling
The title was a seventeenth-century Dutch saying, meaning that the
her stocking off rather than on. She is getting undressed before retiring
young imitate the old. The old woman is reading the saying out. Jan
for the night. The dog is lying on the pillow now but will have to make
Steen himself is sitting behind the table and laughing as he passes a
way for her. A metal chamber pot can be seen on the ground. Because
pipe to his son Cornelis to smoke, while his son Thaddeus plays the
of how she has placed one leg over another, we can see up her skirt.
bagpipes. His daughter Eva is on the far right. The woman who is laughing and holding out her glass for more is Steen’s wife Griet. The parents are not setting a good example here.
t h e g r e at g o l d e n ag e b o o k
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c olo p h on
t h e g r ea t
G O L D E N AGE b oo k
a
p u b l i c a t i on
o f
WBOOKS, Zwolle, The Netherlands info@wbooks.com www.wbooks.com t e x t
and
c o m p i la t i on
Jeroen Giltaij t r an s la t i on
Tessera Translations, Wageningen de s i gn
Riesenkind, ’s-Hertogenbosch © 2014 WBOOKS/ Jeroen Giltaij All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form of by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. The publisher has endeavoured to comply with all statutory provisions regarding the rights to the illustrations. Those who nevertheless wish to assert certain rights may contact the publisher. The copyright to works by visual artists affiliated with a CISAC organisation has been obtained from Pictoright in Amsterdam. © c/ Pictoright Amsterdam 2014. ISBN 978 94 625 8027 5 NUR 640
384
c ol op hon
t h e g r e at g o l d e n ag e b o o k
D
he Great Golden Age Book gives a complete overview of the art
t
from one of the most remarkable periods in Dutch history.
The seventeenth century is often known as the Dutch Golden Age, not only because of the great wealth the country amassed
H
P A
I
N
T
in
g s
t h e g r ea t
book
book
G O L D E N AGE
T C
G O L D E N AGE
t h e g r ea t
U
but also because of the impressive cultural flowering. The art
Previous books in this serie
of painting in particular reached a high point. Throughout the Het Grote 40-45 Boek
After graduating, Jeroen Giltaij
that still evoke our admiration more than four centuries later.
RenĂŠ Kok en Erik Somers
became assistant curator of
Their paintings are the jewels in the collections of museums all
in collaboration with the NIOD
drawings in 1972 at the Museum
over the world.
Boijmans Van Beuningen, where
At the start of the seventeenth century, artists began painting
he wrote the catalogue of the
landscapes, still lifes, scenes from everyday life, marine pictures
drawings of Rembrandt and his
and church interiors in a way that had never been done before. It
school. In 1978, he became head
was as if the artists wanted to record daily life around them, but
curator of old paintings and
they all did this in their studios at their easels. These painters
sculptures, in which capacity he
had a degree of imaginative power that we find difficult to
organised various exhibitions
imagine. Throughout the century, talented new artists continued
including exhibitions on themes
to emerge with their own styles. The art of the Dutch Golden Age
in seventeenth-century painting.
is characterised by ceaseless creativity, huge levels of production
The catalogue of the exhibition on
and a style that was unique and typical of that time. The great
architectural painting was awarded
names of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Frans Hals are world famous
the Prix Minda de Gunzburg
but the paintings of the lesser known old masters are often
in 1991. In 1997 he obtained a
wonderful, splendid, exquisite or imposing.
Sicilian collector Antonio Ruffo,
The Great Golden Age Book was written and put together by Jeroen
who commissioned paintings from
Giltaij, the former head curator of Old Master Paintings at the
Rembrandt. His brief overview of
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.
Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies Het Grote Jaren 50 Boek Paul Brood, RenĂŠ Kok en Erik Somers in collaboration with the National
P A I N T in g s
doctorate for his thesis on the
D U T C H
century, countless highly talented artists created masterpieces
Archives of the Netherlands
Het Grote Boerderijen Boek Ben Kooij en Judith Toebast In collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands Het Grote Gouden Eeuw Boek Jeroen Giltaij
t h e g r ea t
the paintings of the Dutch Golden
G O L D E N AGE
Age was published in 2004 and served as the starting point for this book.
book www.wbooks.com
j e ro e n g i lta i j