The Dutch Golden Age, a period of unprecedented economic prosperity in the Netherlands that spanned most of the 17th century, gave rise to a generation of artists who could only have emerged and thrived in that particular world. Although officially under the rule of Philip II of Spain, in 1579 the seven northernmost provinces of the Netherlands – Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Overijssel, Gelderland, Friesland and Groningen – formed a loose federation, the Dutch Republic, and declared their independence from the Habsburg Empire. Unlike the political structure of Spain in this period, the Dutch economy was based not on social hierarchy and hereditary wealth, but on trade and industry, allowing a wealthy middle class to emerge. Its power, too, was decentralised, with the city-states operating autonomously. At the heart of its…
