Dutch portraits2004

"Dutch Portraits is a detailed, richly illustrated book on portrait paintings in Holland's Golden Age. This is one of the most fascinating phenomena in Western art history, since these paintings are characterised by a marked degree of realism, enormous diversity, and above all superb quality. The main theme of this catalogue, published to accompany the exhibition of the same name in London and The Hague, is the development of portraiture in the Northern Netherlands. It presents a very wide range of portraits: from those depicting individuals and couples, children and families to group portraits including militia and regent pieces." "This readable catalogue brings together over sixty paintings by a total of 29 masters, in colour reproductions furnished with explanatory texts. The book opens with introductory essays on the development of portrait paintings in the Northern Netherlands and on the subject of dress in portraits. This first survey of portrait paintings in the Golden Age provides a unique portrait of the people who shaped and lived through this epoch."--Jacket.