Dutch Domestic Culture

In the seventeenth century there was an exceedingly large middle class in the Dutch Republic that devoted a lot of money and attention to the everyday objects around them. As a result, the Dutch seventeenth century is a crucial chapter in the history of the home.

about the project

This project examines the designing of life, how life’s great themes like birth, love and death, but also the more quotidian ones like eating and sleeping were given shape in the Republic. The focus is on the relationship between the house, its inhabitants and the objects it contained. From the man of the house to the kitchen-maid, who lived in the canal side mansions, and what do their belongings tell us about their lives, thoughts and dreams?

Aim of the project

Museum research into the decorative arts is traditionally based on materials. This theme presents an excellent opportunity to study and display the entire span of the museum’s own collection in a new perspective. The focus is not on a style history of silver, glass, ceramics or textiles, but on the use of the objects and their users. The exhibition will enable the visitor to become familiar with life in the seventeenth century with the aid of tangible objects and recognisable subjects.

Related publications

Exhibition catalogue in preparation.

Related events

Exhibition, Rijksmuseum 2025.

staff

Femke Diercks
f.diercks@rijksmuseum.nl
Head of Decorative Arts

Sara van Dijk
s.van.dijk@rijksmuseum.nl
Junior Curator of Textiles

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