At Home with the Dutch

In our journey through the history of art, through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque era, the main patrons of art in Europe were the Church and the aristocracy.  Religious art was the major theme... as you have seen with the numerous paintings and sculptures of the Virgin, various saints, the Nativity, the Crucifixion, etc., etc.

The art of one corner of Europe, however, was unique.  The Netherlands (what we often erroneously call Holland) won its freedom from Spain in the late 1500s.  The Dutch Republic may have been small in size but it became one of the richest nations in the world.  Dutch merchants traded with every corner of the world.  Although there was religious tolerance of other faiths, the majority of the population was Protestant.  The Calvinist churches were spartan in appearance compared to the Baroque churches of Catholic Europe.  

Without the Church or a powerful nobility patronizing the arts, it was the prosperous upper middle class of merchants who were buying paintings.  They were not interested in oversized canvasses of Madonnas or saints, or even scenes from classical mythology.  They wanted portraits of themselves, pretty landscapes and still lifes, and scenes of home life.  

So let's take a look at some of the Dutch art in the Cleveland Museum of Art.

The most famous of the Dutch painters was Rembrandt.  This picture, known as "A Young Man with a Chain" was done around 1630 and might be a Rembrandt.  It bears the artist's monogram (although I couldn't find it), but some experts say that it could be by Isaac de Joundreville, one of Rembrandt's pupils.

At the height of his career, there was such a demand for a Rembrandt portrait, that he would do the major portion of the painting, and then leave it to other members of his studio to finish the work.  This is probably such a painting, "Portrait of a Woman" from before 1635.

Another famous portraitist was Frans Hals.  This picture of Tieleman Roosterman dates from 1634.  Roosterman was a wealthy linen and silk merchant, and he is portrayed as a confident man attired in somber but luxurious clothing.

This "Portrait of a Woman" was done by Gerard ter Borch in 1663.

The plain background allows the viewer to focus on the woman's elaborate attire.  The artist was known for his ability to capture the luster of satin.

"Violin Player with a Wine Glass" from 1623 is by Dirk van Baburen.  During his short life Baburen produced only about forty canvasses, and the Cleveland Museum of Art acquired this painting in 2018.  

Baburen spent time in Italy where he was influenced by the naturalism of Caravaggio.  His paintings often portray, not the staid merchant class, but people on the margins of society.  This violin player is unkempt and unshaven, has a broken tooth, and is probably inebriated.

This painting of the interior of an imaginary church was done by Emmanuel de Witte around 1680.  When the Protestants occupied former Catholic churches, the buildings were stripped of most of their decoration and images.

This is the only religious picture in the gallery.  "Salome with the Head of St. John the Baptist" was painted by Jacob Duck around 1650.  The red-nosed executioner looks as if he could have just come out of an Amsterdam tavern.

Jacob van Ruisdael was the country's most famous landscape artist.  Landscapes of the countryside of the Netherlands were in great demand because the Dutch were proud of their newly independent nation.

"Low Waterfall in a Wooded Landscape" - about 1660-1670

This painting "Landscape with a Windmill" was done when Ruisdael was a teenager.

Another important landscape painter was Meindert Hobbema.  "Cottage in the Woods" dates from 1662.

"Cottage in the Woods" - 1662

Jan van Goyen did this view of the German city of Emmerich on the Rhine River in 1645.

Still life paintings were also popular.  Ambrosius Brosschaert did this floral still life in 1606.

The prosperous merchants filled their homes with fine furniture.  This wardrobe is made of oak with imported veneers of ebony and rosewood.  Porcelains from China were also popular decorative items.

Potters in the Dutch city of Delft began to copy the styles of Chinese porcelain.  Delftware became a less expensive alternative, and eventually was exported all over Europe.

Delft plate from 1680

Pieter de Hooch was famous for his domestic scenes.  This painting, "Portrait of a Family Playing Music", is typical of his work.  

Everything about the interior of the house and the attire of the family is quite luxurious.  The fact that they have the leisure time to gather together and play music is another indication of their wealth.

An open doorway in the background leading into another room is a characteristic of many of de Hooch's paintings.  We can see the maid taking care of the younger children.  Obviously she does not have the time for leisure activities.

At first glance, "A Musical Company" painted by Jacob Ochtervelt in1668, looks like another pleasant domestic scene.

But appearances can be deceiving to those who are unaware of the clues in this painting.  Barely discernible on the back wall across the top of the picture are a row of paintings of women.  In the previous canvas the family was playing music with a score in front of them, but to play music without a score was considered rather low class, something you would associate with places of dubious reputation.  And then there is the woman at the doorway chatting with a fellow.  This scene is inside of a brothel!  See what interesting tidbits you learn when you take the time to read the information next to the artworks! 

That concludes last week's visit to the art museum, but I made another trip on Wednesday.  (I refer to my weekly visits as my "mental health excursions" to ward off cabin fever.)  So there will soon be more to come from the Cleveland Museum of Art.