Beauty of the Everyday: Art of the Dutch Republic in the 17th and Early 18th Centuries

    In the seventeenth and early eighteenth century Dutch Republic, we see a cultural shift in the realm of art. During this time, Dutch art moved away from the religious themes of the Baroque period that were popular across much of Catholic Europe. Rather than pointing viewers to spiritual truths and to the divine, Dutch art emphasized interior, domestic space. As a result, the church was deemphasized—not only in content, but in context. Rather than being displayed in grand cathedrals, art in the Dutch Republic was more commonly found in private homes.

    Dutch art of this period emphasized domestic spaces in both subject matter and form. Intimate portraits captured ordinary moments of ordinary people in the mundane business of life. Still lifes depicted everyday objects—fruit, flowers, food, tableware—with astonishing naturalism. These works were not merely decorative; they were expressions of pride, morality, beauty, and the rhythms of daily life. They helped turn the home into a space of cultural and aesthetic significance.

    This artistic focus was shaped by both the Protestant Reformation and the rise of a wealthy middle class. With the decline of the Church as the dominant patron of the arts, a new market emerged: middle-class citizens with disposable income and a desire to adorn their homes with meaningful and beautiful objects. As a result, art became more personal, more accessible, and more closely tied to private life.

Jan Davidsz de Heem

Vase of Flowers

c. 1660

Oil on canvas

Overall: 69.6 x 56.5 cm (27 3/8 x 22 1/4 in.)

National Gallery of Art

Dutch still life paintings were often sold on the open market and used to decorate the interiors of Dutch homes. This particular still life captures the Dutch fascination with beautifying the home. Flower arrangements like this were not only decorative but also symbolic—flowers in varying stages of bloom and from different seasons served as subtle reminders of life’s transience. Painted with extraordinary detail, this painting reflects the desire to bring nature indoors, enriching domestic spaces with color, elegance, and meaning. In a culture that emphasized private life, such paintings transformed ordinary interiors into places of quiet reflection through visual delight on the walls of the home.

Possibly by De Gecroonde Son or possibly by De Vergulde Roemer

Gilt-leather wall hangings (part of a set)

ca. 1650–70

Leather, silvered, painted and varnished

Overall (Confirmed): 96 x 211 in., 41lb. (243.8 x 535.9 cm, 18.5975kg)

Ascension number: 2012.332.1

These decorative wall hangings speak to the Dutch Republic’s deep appreciation for the home as a site of beauty and meaning. Crafted from embossed and gilded leather, the panels offered a luxurious way to adorn interior walls, enhancing the elegance of everyday domestic life. Unlike religious or courtly art elsewhere in Europe, Dutch artistic expression often unfolded within the home. Functional objects like these became part of a visual culture that celebrated private life, reflecting a society where craftsmanship and the aesthetics of the interior were deeply valued.

Pieter de Hooch 

Mother Nursing Her Child

c. 1674/1676

Oil on canvas

31 3/8 × 23 1/2 inches (79.7 × 59.7 cm)

Detroit Institute of Arts

In this piece, Hooch depicts a mundane domestic scene. We see a woman inside a house with tile floors and a stairwell in the background. She is seated next to a bassinet while cradling a baby in her arms as she nurses. She is looking down at the child lovingly. This piece echoes the Madonna and child visual language as the woman is wearing red and blue, the colors that Mary was often depicted wearing. The Madonna and child imagery is prevalent in Christian art—but this is no Madonna and child. This is an ordinary women nursing an ordinary child.

Pieter Claesz 

Still Life with a Skull and a Writing Quill

1628

Oil on wood

9 1/2 x 14 1/8 in. (24.1 x 35.9 cm)

Ascension number: 49.107

This still life is full of art history symbolism. It reminds viewers of the fleeting nature of life and the futility of earthly pursuits. The skull, an art history symbol of mortality, is paired with a quill and parchment—objects linked to human knowledge and creativity. The extinguished lamp in the background reinforces the idea that life, like light, is temporary. Popular in the Dutch Republic, vanitas paintings like this one reflect both religious values and intellectual curiosity, encouraging viewers to reflect on their own lives, choices, and the inevitability of death amidst worldly beauty.

Attributed to Jan van Mekeren

Cabinet on stand

ca. 1700-1710

Oak veneered with rosewood, olivewood, ebony, holly, tulipwood, barberry and other partly green-stained marquetry woods

Overall: 70 1/4 × 53 7/8 × 22 7/16 in. (178.4 × 136.8 × 57 cm)

Ascension number: 1995.371a, b

This ornate cabinet exemplifies how art and craftsmanship were woven into the fabric of domestic life in the Dutch Republic. Designed for use in the home, it stored personal treasures—letters, keepsakes, or small collectibles—while also serving as a striking decorative furniture piece. The use of luxurious materials like tortoiseshell and ebony reflects the growing wealth of the Dutch middle class, who increasingly purchased fine objects to enhance their living spaces. More than mere furniture, this cabinet embodies the Dutch appreciation for beauty and the artistry of everyday life within the home.

Emanuel de Witte

Interior of the Oude Kerk, Delft

Probably 1650

Oil on wood 

19 x 13 5/8 in. (48.3 x 34.6 cm)

Ascension number: 2001.403

This painting reflects a distinctly Dutch approach to sacred space—one that deemphasizes religious grandeur in favor of everyday realism. While the setting is a church, the presence of both unattended children and unattended dogs subtly signals a shift in cultural attitudes. Rather than a place of solemn spiritual reverence, the church interior is treated almost like a public square—an architectural space to be admired, inhabited, and used. De Witte focuses not on a religious ceremony but on light, structure, and daily life, aligning this work with a broader Dutch tradition that prioritized the ordinary over the divine.

References

Spaans, Joke, and Jetze Touber. “INTRODUCTION: Enlightened Religion: From Confessional Churches to Polite Piety in the Dutch Republic.” In Enlightened Religion: From Confessional Churches to Polite Piety in the Dutch Republic, edited by Joke Spaans and Jetze Touber, 297:1–18. Brill, 2019. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctvrzgvr2.5. 

Vanhaelen, Angela. “Death and Dutch Art.” In The Wake of Iconoclasm: Painting the Church in the Dutch Republic, 159–96. Pennsylvania State University Press, 2012.