In 17th Century Europe Dutch shippers, trade and finance dominated the continent leading to a period that lasted almost a century which became known the Dutch Golden Age. The wealth garnered by the Dutch East India Company through the spice trade and control of many former Portuguese territories in Asia and sugar in the Caribbean led to the creation of a mercantile class who spent their money on a new range of exotic luxury objects including art. Artists help adorn the opulent houses of the newly rich, including the works of Peter Paul Reubens, Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer, and Frans Hals. Delft became famous for its reproductions of Chinese porcelain, and landscape paintings became very popular.

In the three part series ART TRAILS, we explore the sites, playgrounds, and homes of some of the world’s greatest artists.