Sip the finest wines and taste the most exotic foods, as portrayed by some of the most renowned oil masters of the 17th century.
The Dutch Golden Age, which spanned roughly the entire 17th century, was an era of profound economic growth for the Netherlands as exotic goods from all across the world entered its trading harbors. Spearheaded by the Dutch East India Company, the Dutch were able to amass considerable wealth through trading, leading to a stronger desire to showcase their fortunes in the form of lavish paintings.
Cornelis de Heem, “Stilleben mit Hummer,” ca. 1655, oil on copper, 63 x 49.5 cm. (c) Kunsthaus Zürich 2015
The Kunsthaus Zürich already has impressive holdings of Dutch Golden Age painting, but a current exhibition has brought together an additional 40 paintings from a private collection in Zürich. “A Golden Age” features a number of rarely seen cabinet pieces that — while small in size — undeniably highlight the exquisite skill possessed by many artists of the period, including Jan Brueghel the Elder, Adriaen Coorte, Hendrick Avercamp, Jan van Goyen, and Aert van der Neer. The exhibition will include the full range of subjects explored by Dutch Golden Age painters, including still life, landscape, and genre paintings. The museum notes, “They were the first to produce works to this extent for a broad market and develop a high degree of specialization in a variety of genres outside religious art.”
“A Golden Age” opened on August 28 and will be on view through November 29.
To learn more, visit the Kunsthaus Zürich.
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