The Dutch Golden Age. From Rembrandt to Vermeer with treasures from the Rijksmuseum
Pinacoteca| N° d'inventaire | 13481 |
| Format | 24.5 x 28.5 |
| Détails | 303 p., 126 color plates, bound. |
| Publication | Paris, 2009 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782358670043 |
The exhibition presents an exceptional collection of more than one hundred and thirty pieces, including sixty paintings, thirty graphic works (drawings and watercolors), ten engravings, and ten objects to illustrate the period in a very representative way (tapestries, earthenware, wooden miniatures, silverware, and glassware). Through the art of this period, the aim is to understand how the young republic—created in 1581—would, thanks to its commercial success and tolerance of thought, become one of the strongest commercial powers in Europe. It was above all through freedom of worship that the Republic of the United Provinces (the forerunner of the Netherlands) attracted many personalities who found in this place the opportunity to work, think, and practice their religion while they were persecuted for their beliefs in their country of origin. Writers and thinkers flocked from all over Europe to teach, publish, and develop their knowledge. This part of the world thus became the center of knowledge. Maritime commercial power was quickly associated with this power of knowledge. Amsterdam became one of the most important economic centers for industry, commerce, and art. It was therefore quite natural that the young republic also became a center where culture flourished in the broadest sense, in both the fields of literature and the arts. Coming from patrician families, the middle class became the main sponsors of works. Art and culture constituted a new form of economic and industrial prosperity.
The exhibition presents an exceptional collection of more than one hundred and thirty pieces, including sixty paintings, thirty graphic works (drawings and watercolors), ten engravings, and ten objects to illustrate the period in a very representative way (tapestries, earthenware, wooden miniatures, silverware, and glassware). Through the art of this period, the aim is to understand how the young republic—created in 1581—would, thanks to its commercial success and tolerance of thought, become one of the strongest commercial powers in Europe. It was above all through freedom of worship that the Republic of the United Provinces (the forerunner of the Netherlands) attracted many personalities who found in this place the opportunity to work, think, and practice their religion while they were persecuted for their beliefs in their country of origin. Writers and thinkers flocked from all over Europe to teach, publish, and develop their knowledge. This part of the world thus became the center of knowledge. Maritime commercial power was quickly associated with this power of knowledge. Amsterdam became one of the most important economic centers for industry, commerce, and art. It was therefore quite natural that the young republic also became a center where culture flourished in the broadest sense, in both the fields of literature and the arts. Coming from patrician families, the middle class became the main sponsors of works. Art and culture constituted a new form of economic and industrial prosperity.