Lecture—Art and Competition in the Dutch Golden Age: 2019 Erasmus Lectures (Part 1)

Lecture Title: “Here is the stock exchange and the money, and the love of art”—On the Value of History Paintings in Rembrandt’s Amsterdam.

In the 17th century, Amsterdam’s booming art market saw explosive growth and diversification in the kinds of paintings that were produced—in terms of subject matter, format, style, and technique—and in the ways these works were marketed. Artists’ reputations and the prices each painter could ask also began to diverge dramatically.

This lecture focuses on Rembrandt, who occupied an exceptional place among his peers in Amsterdam’s art scene. Eric Jan Sluijter demonstrates how, in this environment, Rembrandt and his fellow history painters (who produced depictions of biblical, mythological, and other historical and literary scenes) acquired fame and handled the financial value of their work.

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK:
Watch more presentations as part of the Erasmus Lectures on the History and Civilization of the Netherlands and Flanders:    • Erasmus Lectures Series on Dutch Art  

SPEAKERS:
Eric Jan Sluijter, professor emeritus at the University of Amsterdam and the 2019 Erasmus Lecturer in Harvard’s Department of History of Art and Architecture;
Introductions by A. Cassandra Albinson, Head of the Division of European and American Art, and Margaret S. Winthrop Curator of European Art, Harvard Art Museums.

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The three-part 2019 "Art and Competition in the Dutch Golden Age: Erasmus Lectures on the History and Civilization of the Netherlands and Flanders" were presented at the Harvard Art Museums in collaboration with the Department of History of Art and Architecture at Harvard. The Erasmus Lectureship on the History and Civilization of the Netherlands and Flanders invites lecturers to spend a semester in any department of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. The lectureship was endowed in 1967 by donations from individuals and businesses in the Netherlands and from Dutch expatriates in the United States. In 1994, the endowment was enlarged by a donation from the Government of Flanders.

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All images and graphics used in the video belong to their respective owners and this channel does not claim any right over them. Copyright Disclaimer: Any use of copyrighted content on this channel constitutes “fair use” pursuant to 17 U.S. Code § 107 as it is utilized for the purpose of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.

Video Thumbnail Image: Detail of Emanuel de Witte, Dutch, "The Courtyard of the Exchange in Amsterdam," 1653. Oil on panel. Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Licensed by HIP/Art Resource, N.Y.

Video: Recorded Friday, February 22, 2019, in Menschel Hall, Harvard Art Museums. Videography by Casey Preston. © President and Fellows of Harvard College. For questions related to permission for commercial use of this video, please contact the Department of Digital Imaging and Visual Resources at [email protected].