Customer Reviews

Art and Commerce in the Dutch Golden Age

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This 1997 book is a good translation by Catherine Hill from an original German work, an Economic History of the Dutch Golden Age, published a few years earlier in 1992. The book's author, German Economic Historian Michael North announces the theme and purpose of this book about Dutch painters and their role in 17th century Dutch society; "This study investigates the developments that took place in economic, social and artistic areas, as well as the way these areas interacted. At the same time, I have attempted to give a general overview of the history of art and of the social and economic develpoments in the Netherlands."

North goes on to deliver on this promise with a wealth of information, possibly too much for a book designed as he wished, for a lay audience. The majority of art historians would certainly be quick to note that much of this is quite detailed enough for even the most up-to-date specialists. This said, the book is readable, and provides the economic underpinnings beneath this very important historical age, one of the first great republics.

The book is divided into six chapters as follows;

1. Historical Interpretations of Dutch Painting.
2. The Dutch Economy.
3. Dutch Society.
4. Artist's Origins and their Socail Status.
5. Patronage and the Art Market.
6. Collections and Collectors.

North finishes this up with an excellent concluding section followed by a terrific bibliography.

My favorite chapter is II, The Dutch Economy. Again, it's easiest to let North set his own table,

"During the Golden Age, the Dutch economy astounded contemporary observers, and it still fascinates historians today. How was such a small country with less than two million inhabitants and virtually no natural resources able to become a leading economic and world power?"

North goes on to show just how this miracle occurred, and for this chapter alone the book is a must purchase for anyone fascinated by Dutch History or Art.

The other chapters provide a fulsome detailing of the life and times of the Dutch and the Dutch Artist during the century. Chock-full of a multitude of details, the book reflects in a relatively organized manner the crazed acquistivness and full plethora of trade and luxury items that erupted in the Golden Age. While some appreciation of Economic theory is advisable, it's not absolutely necessary.

Both an enlightening read AND an important reference book, this should be considered by any amateurs of Dutch Art and Dutch History and a must purchase for someone involved in teaching the field of Dutch Art, or European History.