Challenging the French proverb according to which “nothing grows in the shadow of a great tree”, this exhibition presents Dutch print masterpieces from the 17th century that are too often overshadowed by the magnificent yet overpowering figure of Rembrandt. Monuments of technical virtuosity, the landscapes engraved by Jacob van Ruisdael, rural folklore scenes by Adriaen van Ostade, portraits by Antoine van Dyck, soldiers by Hendrik Goltzius, seascapes by Reinier Nooms known as Zeeman, or cows and sheep by Nicolaes Berchem and Paulus Potter plunge us into the collective imagination of a period defined as a flourishing, optimistic golden age. These prints, magnifying every aspect of daily life, were disseminated in parallel to the revolts against Spanish domination that punctuated the entire first half of the century, and in 1648 led to the independence of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. A peculiar exhibition, which offers a privileged view of the Dutch Golden Age, its construction, its cultural identity and the political themes that animated that world.
