The
Netherlands:
The
“Low
Country”
Dutch Architecture
Patrician homes along the canal in Leiden
Row houses & Catholic “hidden”
Church, Amsterdam
Upper-class Homes, Amsterdam 1600s
Why was the Netherlands the best
place to live in Europe in the 17th c.?
17th c: The “Dutch” Century
A fiercely republican form of gov’t
Religious toleration  Protestants,
Catholics & Jews lived together
peacefully
Urban society  more people lived in
cities than any other area of Europe.
1st capitalist economy (thriving & stable)
 Amsterdam  Europe’s financial capital
“Golden Age” of artists and thinkers.
 Dutch universities were centers of
intellectual life, progressive ideas &
scientific achievement.
Dutch Society
Granaries with enough surplus for one
year (Amsterdam & Rotterdam)
Generally higher salaries than in any
other parts of W. Europe.
 Even women had higher wages.
“Protestant work ethic.”
 Thrift and frugality.
Had the highest standard of living in
Europe!
Had a commercial empire that spanned
the globe!
The Dutch Republic (Federation)
Loose
confederation
of seven
independent &
strong states
The Dutch Republic: A Flow Chart
REGENTS
• provincial level
• held virtually all the power
• strong advocates of local independence
STADTHOLDER
• States General representative from each province
• responsible for defense and order
STATES GENERAL
• federal assembly
• foreign affairs (war)
• all issues had to be referred to the local Estates
Oude Kerk [Old Church], Amsterdam
First built in 1300.
Interior of a Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam
– Emmanuel De Witte
Portrait of an Old Jewish Man Rembrandt,
1654
Amsterdam Stock Market (Bourse)
Emmanuel De Witte, 1653
Jewish refugees helped found it in 1602.
Sampling Officials of the Drapers Guild –
Rembrandt - 1662
University of Leiden,
1575
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By 1645, it was the
largest university in the
Protestant world.
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The separation of the
strong provinces
hindered the power of
any church to control
intellectual life in the
Dutch Republic!
University of Gröningen, 1614
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Along with Leiden,
they were the first
international
universities.
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Half of the
students were
foreigners.
Anatomy Lecture of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp –
Rembrandt, 1632
Dutch Contributions to Science
Hans Lippershey

Telescope
Christiaan Huygens


Explanation of Saturn’s rings
Wave theory of Light
Anton von Leeuwenhoek


Microscope
Discovery of micro-organisms
Women at Work
Dutch East India Fleet
Return of the Dutch East India Fleet, c. 1559
Dutch East India Ship mid-17th c.
Dutch in Japan, 18th c
17th c. Dutch Global Commerce
Decline of the Dutch Republic (18th c.)
Unified political leadership vanished
after death of William III (1702)
Wars w/ France & England placed heavy
burdens on Dutch finances & manpower
English shipping began to challenge
Dutch commercial supremacy
Fishing industry declined
Stagnation of domestic industries
brought about by disunity of provinces
Only thing saving them from
insignificance = financial system
Characteristics of Dutch Realism:
Chiaroscuro  contrast b/t light &
dark
 Usually one light source (ex. a window)
 Imitated Caravaggio’s use of light & shadow
Realism  detail in fabrics, facial
expressions, etc
Intimate Settings  indoor scenes
w/in middle-class homes
Allegories symbols/themes w/in
paintings
Goals:
Dutch Realism

Provide Protestant middle-class w/ smallscale, affordable, portable artwork

Display everyday life as realistically as
possible

Praise the lives & accomplishments of the
middle class
“Genre” Paintings
 Still life
 Portraits
 Landscapes/Cityscapes
Still Life with Gilt Goblet
William Heda, 1635
“Genre” Painting
The Merry Drinker (1628-30)– Frans Hals
View of Doerdrecht
Aelbert Cuyp, 1650s
Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)
Self-portrait,
c. 1629-30
Self-Portrait, c. 1660
The Night Watch – Rembrandt van Rijn, 1642
Anatomy Lecture of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp –
Rembrandt, 1632
The Mill– Rembrandt van Rijn, 1645-48
A Young Woman with a Water Jug - Jan Vermeer,
1662
The Astronomer
Jan Vermeer, 1668
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Jan Vermeer, 1665
The Little Street – Jan Vermeer, 1657-1661
Jan Vermeer and Optics
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Did Vermeer use some of the new
discoveries in optics?
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Did he use lenses to project the
image of the subject [camera
obscura] onto the canvas?
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It is argued that van Leeuwenhoek
was the model for his painting,
“The Astronomer.”
Camera Obscura