#Dutch Golden Age

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Two African Men by Rembrandt van Rijn

In the discourse on the Black presence in Western history, it is taken for granted that Africans in art represented solely enslaved people, and their...

Nicole Ganbold 15 July 2024

Rembrandt, Abduction of Ganymede, 1635, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, Germany. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Abduction of Ganymede by Rembrandt

Rembrandt is less known for his mythological paintings, but their visual impact matches any of his religious images and secular portraits. The...

James W Singer 15 July 2024

Rembrandt van Rijn, Saskia van Uylenburgh as Flora Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Saskia as Flora by Rembrandt

Rembrandt van Rijn married Saskia van Uylenburgh in 1634. They were together for only eight years before she died after childbirth, probably from...

Catriona Miller 12 July 2024

Baroque

15 Things You Didn’t Know About the Night Watch by Rembrandt

The Night Watch painted by Rembrandt van Rijn is a monumental canvas displayed today in the “Gallery of Honour” of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam,...

Zuzanna Stańska, Nicole Ganbold 12 July 2024

Gerrit Dou, Dog at Rest, 1650, oil on oak panel, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Dog at Rest by Gerrit Dou

Gerrit Dou’s Dog at Rest is a masterpiece of Dutch genre painting, perfect for both dog enthusiasts and art...

James W Singer 7 July 2024

Quiz

QUIZ: Who Painted the Party? Awesome Parties in Art History

Ledys Chemin 22 June 2024

Johannes Vermeer, Brieflesendes Mädchen am offenen Fenster, um 1657-59 Zustand nach der Restaurierung © Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Foto: Wolfgang Kreische Baroque

The Mysterious Cupid in Johannes Vermeer’s Paintings

Johannes Vermeer is one of European art’s most loved and mysterious painters. Moderately known during his lifetime, completely forgotten after...

Zuzanna Stańska, Sophie Pell 14 June 2024

Movie still from Saltburn, directed by Emerald Fennell, 2023. Prime Video. Theater & Cinema

Art in Saltburn – The Influence of Art on the Film

The filmmaker and writer, Emerald Fennell, following the success of her debut film, showcases her keen eye for art in her latest movie Saltburn.

Sandra Juszczyk 10 June 2024

Jacobus Vrel (act. ca. 1650-1670), A Woman at a Window Waving at a Child, Fondation Custodia, Frits Lugt Collection, Paris Artist Stories

A Dutch Mystery: Jacobus Vrel

Jacobus Vrel is a ghostly figure in art history because, up to this moment, there is almost no official data about him. No record of his existence...

Irina Diana Calu 27 May 2024

Johannes Vermeer, Girl With a Pearl Earring, c. 1665, Mauritshuis, Hague, The Netherlands. Wikimedia Commons (public domain). Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer

The Girl with a Pearl Earring is usually the first image that comes to mind when we think of Johannes Vermeer. It has inspired multiple references in...

Soledad Castillo Jara 26 May 2024

Women Artists

Vanitas and Women Artists: A Brief of Mortality

Vanitas is an art genre that flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries, especially in the Netherlands. The term originates from the Latin word for...

Errika Gerakiti 23 May 2024

Art History 101

A Small Guide to Still Life Symbols

You may think that all those marvelous Dutch still lifes from the 16th and 17th centuries were just some random sets of fruits, vegetables, and...

Zuzanna Stańska, Nicole Ganbold 3 May 2024