Rembrandt's Amsterdam: golden times?

Abstract

"One city, many faces: in the seventeenth century, Amsterdam was the bustling metropolis and envy of Europe. Its economy flourished, the population swelled rapidly, and the arts and sciences thrived. A powerful burgher class shaped the city's fortunes and glorified itself in splendid group portraits made by the leading painters of the age, foremost among them Rembrandt. In Amsterdam, more than in any other city, the group portrait rapidly evolved to serve as the proud mirror of a mighty elite citizenry, particularly members of the civic guards and the governors of newly founded social institutions. However, the city's prosperity came at a high cost, for it was rooted in colonialist trade policies and a strict social order. This book shows both the upsides and downsides of this period, in images and stories of a pluralistic society that tell of wealth and poverty, fortune and ruin, power and powerlessness"-- Provided by publisher.