A History of European Art

Lecture 33: Dutch Painting in the 17

th Century

His earlier group portraits were often set at banquets, with the militiamen

seated around tables in a merrymaking mood. That has been replaced here

by sobriety and dignity—the governors meet about a matter of importance

to the charitable hospital. Pictured are an inkwell, a quill with a knife to

sharpen it, an account book, and some coins. The group of ¿ ve men includes

a variety of poses with an overall pattern of hands.

For genre painting, we will consider Jan Steen (1626–1679), who lived in

The Hague, Delft, Haarlem, and Leiden. Our example shows As the Old

Ones Sing, so the Young Ones Pipe (or Merry Company) (c. 1665). The title

is taken from a folk motto meaning that youth will follow the example set by

their elders. In contrast, let’s look at Pieter

de Hooch (1629–after 1684). His work,

The Courtyard of a House in Delft (c. 1658)

shows a picture of harmony, quietude, and

cleanliness—all Calvinist sentiments.

For the landscape genre, we will look at

two artists. The ¿ rst artist was the father-

in-law of Jan Steen, Jan van Goyen (1596–

1656). Van Goyen was the ¿ rst great Dutch

landscape painter in the 17th century. Our

example shows his View of Leiden from

the Northeast (undated). The second artist is Jacob van Ruisdael (1628/29–

1682), who was probably the greatest Dutch landscape painter, partly because

of his range. Our example shows The Jewish Cemetery near Ouderkerk

(c. 1654–1655).

We now turn to still lifes with a work by Willem Claesz Heda (1594–1682),

Still Life with Nautilus Cup (c. 1640). We see leftover banquet items gathered

together as a reminder that however sumptuous the banquet may be, it will

be left behind at death. The mince pie has been left almost untouched, and

the clock has been left unwound because time has stopped for its owner. The

silver-mounted Nautilus cup has been knocked over, while two other glasses

are still full. The subtlety of the color palette and the shadows on the wall

and tablecloth give unity to the objects. The objects are composed with the

To call Johannes

Vermeer (1632–1675)

a genre painter, a

landscape painter, or a

painter of mythological

or religious subjects

would miss the point.