The Dutch “Golden Age”

APEURO Lecture 3AMrs. Kray

The Netherland

s:

The “Low Country”

It was a political model ◦ Republican gov’t w/power in hands

of wealthy merchants

Radical view towards religion◦ Certain level of religious toleration –

even for Jews◦ Dominant religion was Calvinism

Stable, thriving economy◦ Leading commercial power for most

of the 17th c◦ Amsterdam financial center of

Europe

“Golden Age” of artists and thinkers◦ Religion and everyday life were

recurring themes in their art

The 17th Century – The “Dutch” Century?

View of Doerdrecht,Aelbert Cuyp 1650s

Religious toleration had created a cosmopolitan society that promoted commerce

Highest standard of living in Europe◦ Amsterdam, Rotterdam: granaries

with enough surplus for one year◦ Generally higher salaries than in

any other part of W. Europe Even women had higher wages!

“Protestant work ethic”◦ Thrift and frugality

Dutch Society

Portrait of an Old Jewish Man by

Rembrandt, 1654

Dutch art very different from baroque art in Rome and Madrid◦ Dutch Republic was a Protestant nation w/o an absolute ruler◦ Lacking commissions from the Catholic Church and from royal

officials, Dutch artists turned to their nation’s prosperous merchants

Merchant class were art patrons◦ As self-made entrepreneurs they wanted to purchase paintings of

themselves, their families, their possessions, and their land

Dutch artists focused on painting the individual and everyday life

During the 17th c., the Dutch Republic supported an astonishing number of great artists: Rembrandt, Jan Vermeer, etc.

Dutch Artistic Creativity:The “Dutch Golden Age”

Beware of Luxury – Jan Steen

The Burgher of Delft and His Daughter – Jan Steen

A Young Woman with a Water Jug – Jan Vermeer

Girl with the Pearl Earring – Jan Vermeer

The Dutch Economy

Exported diamonds, linens, pottery

Not much inflation

Great Dutch land reclamation project was accelerated during this time◦ Land was recovered by use of dams and dikes and was then organized

into polders for purposes of diverting water◦ While help drive agricultural revolution of the next century

Masters of the “carrying trade” (lowest shipping rates in Europe)

Financial center of Europe**◦ Bank of Amsterdam, Fugger Family◦ Stability of Dutch banking means $$$ pours in, thus feeding Dutch

economy w/capital for investment

An Overview

To understand Dutch prosperity you must understand this revolution

New ocean trade routes◦ Trade in spice, sugar, and

precious metals brought great wealth to European trading nations

◦ This wealth supported increased investment

Growth of population◦ Colombian food exchange

supported population growth◦ This growth led to an

increase in overall demand for goods and services

Price revolution◦ Steady inflation in prices during

the 16th c.◦ Caused by rising demand

created by population growth and the influx of gold and silver from the New World

New nation-centered economic system◦ Before 1500, western European

economy centered around towns and guilds. Both relied on strict regulation to ensure survival thus there was little innovation

◦ As commercial activity increased, a new nation-centered economic system began to replace this old system mercantilism

Dutch Economy and the Causes of the Commercial Revolution

New entrepreneurs◦ The expansion of commercial activity created large geographic markets. The

new trading areas opened new opportunities while also requiring a new kind of economic leadership

◦ Merchants and bankers emerged as influential and successful entrepreneurs The Italian Medici family and the German Fuggers are good examples

New Industries◦ The printing press created a national and even international market for books◦ The new ocean trading routes sparked a rise in shipbuilding◦ The emergence of nation states supported the large-scale manufacturing of

cannons and muskets

Putting-Out System◦ Strict guild regulations stifled competition and restricted production◦ In order to avoid the restrictive guild system, entrepreneurs provided cloth,

looms, and other equipment to rural families◦ The putting-out system led to a significant increase in the production of cloth

and other manufactured goods

Key Features of Commercial Revolution

17th c. Dutch Global Commerce

The new international trade required unprecedented amounts of capital. ◦ For example, merchants had to arm their ships, buy special

privileges for local authorities, and build trading posts. Wars, storms, and rivals threatened profits

English and Dutch merchants formed joint-stock companies to maximize profit and limit risks

Investors in a joint-stock company bought shares of ownership. ◦ If the company went bankrupt, its owners lost their

investment. ◦ If the companies prospered, the investor’s shares of ownership

entitled them to collect a proportional share of the profits

Key Features of Commercial Revolution:Joint Stock Companies

Dutch East India Company

Dutch West India Company, 1621

Fort Orange (Albany, NY) in New Netherlands

New Amsterdam (NYC)

Took over the asiento system from the Portuguese Settled in South Africa (Boers/Afrikaners)

The Dutch in Africa

The Dutch in Japan, 18th c.

Dutch Ship in Nagasaki, Late 18th c.

Dutch Intellectual Life

By 1645, it was the largest university in the Protestant world

The separation of the strong provinces hindered the power of any church to control intellectual life in the Dutch Republic

University of Leiden, 1575

Groningen and Leiden were the first international universities

Half of the students were foreigners

University of Groningen, 1614

The French philosopher lived in Leiden from 1628 to 1649

Rene Descartes, 1596-1650

Most agree that the telescope was invented by Hans Lippershey in 1608

Dutch Optics: The Telescope

Anton van Leeuwenhoek: The Microscope & the Discovery of

Micro-Organisms

Anatomy Lecture of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp – Rembrandt,

1632

(detail) Anatomy Lecture

Did Vermeer use some of the new discoveries in optics?

Did he use lenses to project the image of the subject (camera obscura) onto the canvas?

It is argued that van Leeuwenhoek was the model for his painting, “The Astronomer”

Jan Vermeer and Optics

The AstronomerJan Vermeer, 1668

Dutch Politics

Philip II consolidated Hapsburg lands at the end of the 16th c.

The Spanish Habsburgs & Europe (1556)

The United Provinces still

recognized Spanish rule but, they declared their

independence. Spain officially

recognized independence after Peace of Westphalia

The Spanish NetherlandsUnion of Utrecht, 1579

The Dutch Federation

STATES GENERAL* Federal assembly * Power over foreign affairs

(war)* All other issues referred to local estates

STADHOLDER* States General representative from each province

* Responsible for defense and order

REGENTS* Provincial level officials * Held virtually all power

* Strong advocates of local independence

The Night Watch – Rembrandt, 1642

Trade war with England turns into larger military conflict◦ English Navigation Acts

First Anglo-Dutch War: 1660-1665 Second Anglo-Dutch War: 1665-1667 Third Anglo-Dutch War: 1674-1678

Beginning of Dutch decline

Anglo-Dutch Wars

The Glorious Revolution, 1688

William of Orange His wife Mary

The final “revenge” of the Dutch?

William III of England“Dutch William”