The art of the Netherlands in the seventeenth century, called the Golden Age, is among the most popular ever created. The sumptuous paintings, drawings and decorative arts in this book were created at time when the Dutch Republic had reached unprecedented power. Banking and the first truly global trade routes had generated staggering levels of new wealth that, coupled with political and religious freedom, created a vibrant atmosphere in which the arts flourished. Celebrated portraitists such as Hals and Rembrandt painted haunting images of the country's new civic leaders and wealthy patrons, while genre painters such as Vermeer created richly detailed scenes of daily life and artists such as Cuyp, de Witte and Heda captured the Dutch countryside and its prosperous new cities and created intricate still lifes rich in symbolism. The book also features a selection of Delft pottery, glassware and silver that attests to the luxurious refinement of this Golden Age. 200 colour iamges
