The Dutch Republic in the seventeenth century was home to one of the greatest flowerings of painting in the history of Western art. Freed from the constraints of royal and church patronage, artists created a rich outpouring of works that circulated through an open market to patrons and customers at every level of Dutch society. The closely observed details of daily life captured in portraits, genre scenes, and landscapes offer a wealth of information about the possessions, activities, and circumstances that distinguished members of the social classes. The dazzling array of paintings gathered here—by artists such as Frans Hals, Jan Steen, Pieter de Hooch, and Gerard ter Borch, as well as Rembrandt and Vermeer—illuminated by essays from leading scholars, invites us to explore a vibrant early modern society and its reflection in a golden age of brilliant painting.

About the Author
Ronni Baer is William and Ann Elfers Senior Curator of Paintings, Art of Europe, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.