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Dutch Art

The Royal Collection has a stunning collection of seventeenth century Dutch art

Still life of fruit and a pie on a table

The Royal Collection has one of the finest assemblies of seventeenth century Dutch paintings in the world, acquired by different monarchs from the seventeenth century to today. This selection of genre paintings, portraits, landscape and still-lifes demonstrates the broad range and exceptional quality of this collection.

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Honthorst was a Dutch painter born and trained in Utrecht. His early career was spent in Rome, where he attained great success as a follower of Caravaggio. In 1620 he returned to Utrecht and largely abandoned religious themes in favour of Arcadian and dom
Background to the collection

The seventeenth century was the Golden Age for Dutch painting

A young woman descends a staircase dangling a page of sheet music from her right hand. She looks down at a young man tuning a cello. He is seated in front of a spinet and rather incongruously wears a hat. Above is another young man looking on at the proce
Genre

Focused on the daily lives of ordinary folk, many thought Dutch genre painting vulgar

The Shipbuilder and His Wife
Portraiture

The growing mercantile class was a source of commissions for portrait painters

Windmill
Landscape

Dutch landscape painting produced both realistic depictions, and imagined idylls.

Heda devoted himself to still-life painting and was based at Haarlem throughout his life. Together with Pieter Claesz., he evolved a monochromatic style, portraying - as in the present example - a restricted range of objects: pewter dish, a glass beaker,
Still-life

During Charles II's reign, still-lifes were hugely admired

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Subjects: Paintings
Artists: Willem Claesz. Heda (Haarlem 1593/4-1680/2), Pieter Gerritsz van Roestraten (Haarlem c. 1631-London 1700), Jan Weenix (c.1642-1719), Jan Davidsz de Heem (Utrecht 1606-Antwerp 1684), Simon Verelst (1644-1721), Willem van Aelst (Delft 1625/6-Amsterdam after 1683), Maria van Oosterwyck (Noorddorp 1630-Uitdam 1693)

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The income from your ticket contributes directly to The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity. The aims of The Royal Collection Trust are the care and conservation of the Royal Collection, and the promotion of access and enjoyment through exhibitions, publications, loans and educational activities.