ARTH 055. Trade, Temptation, and Travel: Dutch Art in the Age of Rembrandt

Europe and the world changed considerably during the seventeenth century as trade brought the European continent unprecedented wealth. This was especially true for the Netherlands, which broke away from Hapsburg Spain in the late sixteenth century and established a new independent government grounded in Protestant principles and capitalist expansion. The nascent nation quickly became an economic powerhouse in Europe, with the source for much of its wealth being the international trading companies, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and the DutchWest India Company (WIC). By 1648, the year of the Treaty of Westphalia, Amsterdam had become the most prominent port of exchange in Europe, and travelers and migrants flooded the city to engage in trade and commerce. This course surveys the history of seventeenth century Dutch art through the lens of global exchange and migration, evaluating not only how the newly discovered world affected the artworks and everyday lives of Dutch artists and consumers, but also the impact of Netherlandish expansion, trade, and colonialism on the Americas, Africa, and Asia. The works of Rembrandt van Rijn, Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer and others convey these changes and illuminate the fascinating contradictions of a culture caught between a strict Calvinist morality, lucrative (and illicit) commerce, and the potential for unmediated scientific learning, vanity, and fortune.
1 credit.
Catalog chapter: Art and Art History: Art History  
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/art


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