Jan Miense Molenaer (ca. 1610-1668), Young musicians and a dwarf
SØR Rusche collection
From the museum website
The Kunsthal presents a totally new perspective on seventeenth century painting with the exhibition At home in the Golden Age. Over 160 paintings from the extensive collection SØR Rusche show that the seventeenth century art business was enormously productive. All sorts of paintings from the Golden Age are dealt with: portraits, landscapes, still lives, historical paintings and genre paintings. The exhibition contains small masterpieces that at the time were ranked among the top section of the seventeenth century art market, such as landscapes by Cornelis Poelenburgh, portraits by Nicolaas Maes and paintings by David Teniers.
Mass production
The seventeenth century art business was made up of efficiently organized studios often producing whenever commissioned to do so. Owning paintings was granted to large sections of the population. Almost everybody possessed one or more paintings, comparable to the photographs and posters we all have in our homes nowadays. Collecting paintings was very popular and with the rise of a strong middle class within society, mass production of art came into being.
A new perspective on the Golden Age
At home in the Golden Age deals with the realization of a painting, trade in paintings and the meaning of art in general in the seventeenth century. On display are the beloved genres and favorite themes from those days, from delightful tableaux to admonishing representations, from sober landscapes to stately portraits.
Publication
At home in the Golden Age
Marten Jan Bok, Martine Gosselink, Marina Aarts and others
Catalogue of an exhibition held in 2008 in Rotterdam (Kunsthal)
Zwolle (Waanders) 2008
ISBN 978-90-400-8504-8 (Dutch edition, paperbound)
ISBN 978-90-400-8505-6 (English edition, hardbound)