J. Paul Getty Museum, Getty Center
July 24–October 28, 2018
During the seventeenth century, Dutch political and
religious freedom as well as maritime trade and military strength
ushered in an era of economic prosperity. In this golden age, artists
inspired by the everyday made vast numbers of highly finished drawings.
Masterful Likeness: Dutch Drawings of the Golden Age, on view
July 24–October 28, 2018, at the J. Paul Getty Museum, brings together
landscapes, topographical views, portraits, and scenes of daily life,
underscoring Dutch artists’ masterful description
of the world around them.
The seventeenth-century Dutch Republic’s art market flourished as
members of a rising merchant class sought luxury goods to decorate
their homes and assert their status. To meet the demands of these new
patrons, Dutch artists not only produced paintings but created and sold
drawings. Stimulated by the bounty brought to the Netherlands on
mercantile ships and an emerging national pride,
artists chronicled their observations and ideas. This exhibition
presents their proud commemorations of Dutch places, people, and
pastimes, revealing how drawings reflect and shape national identity.
In the Dutch Golden Age, a period defined by economic prosperity and political and religious freedom, the art market flourished. Praised for their artful portrayal of the world around them, Dutch artists in the seventeenth-century met the demand for luxury goods by creating vast numbers of highly finished drawings. This selection of landscapes, topographical views, portraits, and scenes of daily life showcase how drawings helped shaped the emerging national identity of the Dutch Republic.
“Dutch artists documented and invented their world masterfully. The same attention to detail seen in capturing the specific – portraits of burghers, panoramic views of cities – is also used to create more generic subjects of artful fantasy,” says Stephanie Schrader, Curator of Drawings and organizer of the exhibition.
Dutch masters, including Rembrandt van Rijn, Albert Cuyp, and Hendrick
Avercamp, will be featured alongside recent acquisitions of drawings
by Gerard ter Borch, Willem Buytewech, and Esaias van de Velde.
Rembrandt
Harmensz. van Rijn (Dutch, 1606 - 1669)
Title/Date:
Nude
Woman with a Snake, about 1637
Culture:
Dutch
Medium:
Red
chalk with white gouache heightening
Dimensions:
24.7
× 13.7 cm (9 3/4 × 5 3/8 in.)
Accession
No.
81.GB.27
Object
Credit:
The
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Rembrandt
Harmensz. van Rijn (Dutch, 1606 - 1669)
Title/Date:
Landscape
with the House with the Little Tower, about 1651
Culture:
Dutch
Medium:
Pen
and brown ink, brush and brown wash
Dimensions:
9.7
× 21.5 cm (3 13/16 × 8 7/16 in.)
Accession
No.
83.GA.363
Object
Credit:
The
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Joachim
Anthonisz. Wtewael (Dutch, 1566 - 1638)
Title/Date:
Young
Woman Assisted by a Gentleman, about 1609 - 1611
Culture:
Dutch
Medium:
Pen
and black ink, gray wash, and white gouache heightening
Dimensions:
19.4
× 24.9 cm (7 5/8 × 9 13/16 in.)
Accession
No.
85.GA.230
Object
Credit:
The
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Aelbert
Cuyp (Dutch, 1620 - 1691)
Title/Date:
A
Milkmaid, about 1642 - 1646
Culture:
Dutch
Medium:
Black
chalk, graphite, gray wash
Dimensions:
12.1
× 14.8 cm (4 3/4 × 5 13/16 in.)
Accession
No.
86.GG.672
Object
Credit:
The
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
David
Bailly (Dutch, 1584 - 1657)
Title/Date:
Portrait
of a Woman, 1629
Culture:
Dutch
Medium:
Pen
and light and dark brown ink; framing line in dark brown ink; pupils
incised
by the artist
Dimensions:
Diam.:
12.9 cm (Diam.: 5 1/16 in.)
Accession
No.
87.GA.40
Object
Credit:
The
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Herman
Saftleven the Younger (Dutch, 1609 - 1685)
Title/Date:
A
Young Herdsman Leaning on his "Houlette", about 1650
Culture:
Dutch
Medium:
Black
chalk and brown wash
Dimensions:
27.5
× 18.6 cm (10 13/16 × 7 5/16 in.)
Accession
No.
2001.40
Object
Credit:
The
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Cornelis
Visscher (Dutch, about 1629 - 1658)
Title/Date:
Portrait
of a Woman, 1658
Culture:
Dutch
Medium:
Black
chalk
Dimensions:
20.3
× 17.8 cm (8 × 7 in.)
Accession
No.
2004.57
Object
Credit:
The
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Hendrick
Avercamp (Dutch, 1585 - 1634)
Title/Date:
A
Winter Scene with Two Gentlemen Playing Colf, about 1615 - 1620
Culture:
Dutch
Medium:
Opaque
watercolor with pen and brown ink
Dimensions:
9.4
× 15.6 cm (3 11/16 × 6 1/8 in.)
Accession
No.
2008.13
Object
Credit:
The
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Abraham
Rutgers (Dutch, 1632 - 1699)
Title/Date:
A
Street in Jisp on a Winter's Day, before 1664
Culture:
Dutch
Medium:
Pen
and brown and black ink and brown and gray wash
Dimensions:
19.3
× 30.6 cm (7 5/8 × 12 1/16 in.)
Accession
No.
2008.18
Object
Credit:
The
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Adriaen
van Ostade (Dutch, 1610 - 1685)
Title/Date:
Peasants
Drinking in a Tavern, early 1640s
Culture:
Dutch
Medium:
Pen
and brown ink and wash over black chalk
Dimensions:
11
× 14.8 cm (4 5/16 × 5 13/16 in.)
Accession
No.
2011.32
Object
Credit:
The
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Herman
Saftleven the Younger (Dutch, 1609 - 1685)
Title/Date:
The
Corner of the Bulwark at Utrecht, 1650s
Culture:
Dutch
Medium:
Black
chalk and brown wash
Dimensions:
10.8
× 15.4 cm (4 1/4 × 6 1/16 in.)
Accession
No.
2011.33
Object
Credit:
The
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Jan
de Bisschop (Dutch, 1628 - 1671)
Title/Date:
The
Valkenburg Ferry Boat, 1655 - 1660
Culture:
Dutch
Medium:
Pen
and brown ink and brown and grey wash over traces of black chalk
Dimensions:
9.5
× 15.9 cm (3 3/4 × 6 1/4 in.)
Accession
No.
2011.28.3
Object
Credit:
The
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
