The Dutch -- more interesting than you think

The Netherlands is a much-admired country, a modern success story. But the success story of today is based on a long history of prominence, remarkable for what is really a very small region.

In the 17th century the Netherlands had a competitive position in world trade, a healthy domestic environment in an era of plague, and some of the best painters of all time who served to document it all. Thus the painting above of a Dutch raid on England, one of their chief rivals.

Most of the famous and attractive paintings of this time are portraits of real people in their public settings. Can you say "Rembrant"? One of his most famous paintings is The Night Watch a group portrait of a civic militia. These were upper-class but not noble men who were a key part of the politics of the Netherlands (and especially Holland and the city of Amsterdam).

A modern take on the painting is the song "The Night Watch" by the eccentric progressive rock (?) group King Crimson. Another example of the public/personal element of the art of this era is this striking self-portrait by Artemisia Gentileschi. No, she's not Dutch, but I can't resist this assertion of her right as a woman not just to paint, but to represent, embody Painting.

Things were not always happy in the Netherlands. The best example of this is the death of Johan de Witt. He was the long-time leader of republicans who was opposed by a royal interest led by the House of Orange. After 20 years, his regime found itself at war with all its rivals, especially France and England. In this overheated atmosphere, De Witt was stabbed by a would-be assassin and his brother Cornelis was arrested, tortured and exiled. Johan had resigned and was planning to leave town with his brother when he was attacked by a mob that tore him apart -- and according to a famous story their livers were eaten. The mob attack illustrated by Pieter Frits: https://dutchreview.com/wp-content/uploads/Moord_op_de_gebroeders_De_Witt_door_Pieter_Frits_1627-1708-2.jpg

My reaction to this is not a dark day in Dutch history, though it is that. Rather HEY, IT'S THE 17TH CENTURY! A final point is that Johan was also an important mathematician in a century full of important mathematicians. a href="https://smarthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/593683-1458214692.jpg">