(Series) Dutch Art and the City: Commerce, Trade, and Art in the 17th Century
Wed, Nov 11
|Online and Replay
In five sessions, explore how trade, finance, and maritime power shaped Dutch art from the sea paintings of van de Velde to Rembrandt's merchant portraits.
Time & Location
Nov 11, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Online and Replay
About the Event
Session 5: 11/11/2016
The Golden Age Tarnished
In 1672 — the Rampjaar or disaster year — France invaded from the south, England attacked from the sea, and the fragile miracle of the Dutch Republic came close to total collapse. This final talk examines how the catastrophe of 1672 and the long economic decline that followed cast a shadow over Dutch art and the society that had produced it. The market for paintings contracted, the great masters died or fell into poverty, and the particular confidence of Golden Age culture began to drain away. We close by asking what was lost — and what, in the art that survives, still speaks to us about the extraordinary moment when a small trading nation briefly showed the world what was possible.
delivered by Mariska Beekenkamp-Wladimiroff in partnership with New York Y92 Roundtable. You will be redirected to their website for booking.