Customer Reviews

Daily Life in Holland in the Year 1566 And the Story of My Ancestor's Treasure Chest

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DAILY LIFE IN HOLLAND IN THE YEAR 1566 is a graphically and beautifully illustrated book by Rien Poortvliet--a gifted Dutch artist with a talent for visualizing past times and bringing them to life. Many of his illustrations contain disturbing content--people hanged and still dangling from the gallows, miscreants tortured and locked in cages, children and adults deathly ill and/or starving. In 1566, the Dutch were struggling with the Spanish for control of the Netherlands and the aftermath of war is not pretty.

However, many of Poorvliet's pictures also depict everyday scenes concerning the more pleasant side of life. The viewer is shown ships at sea; horses carrying soldiers and pulling plows; all kinds of housing--floorplans to facades to fully formed buildings; clothing of the various classes including the elaborate headgear of wealthy, deftly wrapped scarves, and helmets; household implements such as lanterns, pails, cooking pots, and candle holders; farming tools; vegetables and meats; and plenty of rural scenery comparable to the works of Ruysdael.

Poorvliet's DAILY LIFE IN HOLLAND is based on information he collected from court records and other sources and tells the story of several members of a family over the course of one year. Poortvliet's earlier illustrative tale, IN MY GRANDFATHER'S HOUSE vividly depicted life in Zeeland over several centuries. I actually liked IN MY GRANDFATHER'S HOUSE better than LIFE IN HOLLAND because he portrayed history by tracing his own ancestors back through past generations. First he imagined his father's life, then his grandfather's life, then his great-grandfather's life, etc.

Poortvliet's books provide a wonderful way to visualize life in past times...

You don't have to be Dutch to love this book, it's absolutely marvelous. It brings another time and culture to live with its wonderful drawings, and the story Poortvliet weaves is alternately touching, funny, sad, educational and passionate.No matter how many times I look this book over, it never fails to amaze me. If I could only have 10 books, this would be one I would keep.

What a treat at Amazon's price! I ordered this book in anticipation of a trip to Holland and was AMAZed when it arrived. It is a beautiful book--even had I paid twice Amazon's price.
The author/artist's telling of the story of his ancestor's cabinet, using wonderful paintings of day-to-day life, clothing, customs is a stunning combination. I am still re-reading about 20 or 30 pages daily, taking time over the text and painting details I skimmed in my first quick overview. I am not an art expert, but I have always liked paintings in the old, Dutch style. The artist includes a few of his own renditions of some lesser and well-known 16th century artists' works. His own way with portraits displays a depth of character, particularly in the faces we see several times within the book. I particularly enjoy his portrayal of everyday life--including some of 16th century life's not-so-pleasant aspects. Also, some earthy, funny pieces.

I recently became aware of some Dutch ancestry going back well into the 16 century. This led me to want to know more about that period. This book accomplishes exactly what I'd hoped for. It's comprehensive, has superbly drawn illustrations and quickly lets you experience Dutch life over 425 years ago. It's a real labor of love and a fine acquisition!

Absolutely stunning book! I love Rien's work and own many of his books, and was lucky enough to get many of them at the original list prices which were just amazing for the quality of the artwork in them. This is a wonderful portrait of life in his own country many centuries ago. Every detail of life seems to be covered here, from getting dressed to bathing (or lack of it) to rats, eating, etc. I don't know which is better, the perfectly detailed drawings or the text descriptions of everything. I didn't think at first I would like the book, as I prefer his ones on animals, but I wasn't disappointed!

Yes, this is not a book for younger children (maybe even sensitive/insensitive teens), and yet....
Yes it is now very expensive.
Yes it is of the high quality expected of publisher Abrams, exquisitely illustrated and printed.
No, it is not an exhaustive research work of the subject, nor whimsical like "Gnomes"
but what a book! One of those immensely moving (the beautiful painting and architecture, the insight into how hard it was living in the past, the cruelty, the inventiveness, the humor and joy, the facial characterizations uzw) that made the author famous. One of those few in our lives that are 3+ standard deviations from the mean in communicating, compelling one to see what he found out about his past and what his ancestors may have seen.
For me that is one of the best aspects, that to break the chains of dysfunction of the last century, rebuilding the bridges to the past and our ancestral culture, mean more understanding and love for our children as they face the joys and hardships of their own futures. At some point they may be ready, after "Tales told in Holland", Grimms', axe-wielding Mickeys, and X-men. For a truly educated child, the very few books such as these to me seem essential. Or just for yourself. You jolt your breakfast drink, why not your cultural history, love of nederlandish art? As Len might say, "I absolutely LOVED it".

Rien Poortvliet's "Daily Life in Holland in the Year 1566" contains beautifully done sketches and paintings. They are truly extraordinary. The writing is also very interesting as he weaves history and daily life in an appealing fashion. However, I have found that some of the content of the book is inappropriate for a family. There are more than several pages of nudity and explicit portrayals of both instruments used for torture (in order to extract a confession of sorts) and the torture procedure itself. This has made it impossible for us to keep as a family coffee table book. I regret this but realize that it is an inappropriate book for our family with younger children. Some may certainly argue that this was life in 1566 Holland and while that may be true, it is also true that murder and other heinous crimes are part of life in all of history. Still, is there a need to portray them in this fashion? I think not. Perhaps the artist/writer could have alluded to these facts of life without the explicit visual reminders...