Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art

Book excerpt: Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art celebrates an unprecedented era in the history of art. Drawn from the superb collections of Amsterdam's famed Rijksmuseum, the works of art featured here are a testament to the richness and variety of the paintings, prints, and decorative arts produced in the Netherlands in the 17th century. In a unique approach, Ruud Priem leads the viewer through the highlights of the Golden Age, beginning with the artists themselves and their studios, emerging into busy city streets and the bucolic Dutch countryside, and sampling the variety of 17th-century life and culture. Featured are ninety dazzling works by preeminent Dutch artists--Rembrandt van Rijn, Frans Hals, Jacob van Ruisdael, Pieter de Hooch, and Jan Steen, among them.