A History of European Art

Lecture 33: Dutch Painting in the 17

th Century

auction in 1822, it was aptly described in the sales catalogue: “[It] shows the

town of Delft, on the Schie River; one sees the whole town with its gates,

towers, bridges...The way of painting is of the most audacious, powerful

and masterly that one can imagine; everything is illuminated agreeably by

the sun; the tone of light and water, the nature of the brickwork and the

people make an excellent ensemble, and this painting is absolutely unique of

its kind.”

The twin-towered Rotterdam shipping gate is pictured at right, another

gate at center, and a pair of dark towers at left. Emphasized by the sunlight

striking it, the tower of the New Church (Nieuw Kerk) is right of center. The

New Church was the burial place of William the Silent and is symbolically

associated with Delft. This painting is less a topographic study than a

symbolic one of the peace and prosperity that followed independence. Ŷ

Pieter de Hooch:

The Courtyard of a House in Delft, 1658, oil on canvas, 29 x 23 ½”

(73.5 x 60 cm), National Gallery, London, Great Britain.

Emanuel de Witte:

The Interior of the New Church at Delft, with Tomb of William the

Silent, 1656, oil on canvas, 38 x 32 ½” (96.5 x 82.5 cm), Musée des

Beaux-Arts, Lille, France.

Frans Hals:

The Governors of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, 1641, oil on canvas,

5’ ¼” x 8’ 3 ¼” (153 x 252 cm), Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem,

The Netherlands.

The Merry Drinker, c. 1628–30, oil on canvas, 32 x 26 ¼”

(81 x 66.5 cm), Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Willem Claesz Heda:

Still Life with Nautilus Cup, 1640, oil on panel, 23 ½ x 31”

(59.5 x 78.5 cm), Suermondt-Ludwig Museum, Aachen, Germany.

Works Discussed