Old Masters, New Amsterdam: Before There Was New York

A Dutch Flagship Coming to Anchor, ca. 1672, oil on canvas,
Willem van de Velde the Younger (1633-1707)

I have often written about my affection for the disappearing Italian neighborhoods of old New York, with their parish feasts, familiar accents, and distinct ethnic enclaves that once gave the city so much of its character. Visiting the New-York Historical’s current exhibition, Old Masters, New Amsterdam, was a reminder that the vanished Italian American communities I so often mourn were not the first to pass into history. Long before Little Italy, Bensonhurst, and countless other historic neighborhoods, there was New Amsterdam—a Dutch settlement that survives today more in memory than in brick and stone.

Created to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of New Amsterdam, the exhibition brings together remarkable works by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Jan Steen, and other masters of the Dutch Golden Age. These paintings illuminate the culture, society, and daily life of the seventeenth-century Netherlands. At the same time, an immersive reconstruction of New Amsterdam allows visitors to step into the settlement that once occupied the southern tip of Manhattan.

For anyone interested in early New York, Dutch history, or the artistic achievements of the seventeenth century, the exhibition is well worth seeing. It serves as a reminder that beneath the modern skyline lies a city whose earliest chapter was written by Dutch merchants, settlers, and craftsmen four centuries ago—a world that, like so many others in New York’s long history, survives today chiefly through memory, art, and the historical record.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, July 14th, Feast of San Marciano di Frigento

(L) Self-Portrait with Shaded Eyes, 1634, oil on panel, Rembrandt van
Rijn (1606-1669). (R) Portrait of a Man in a Tall Hat, ca. 1663,
oil on canvas, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)

(L) Self-Portrait, ca. 1629-30, oil on panel, Jan Lievens (1607-1674).
(R) Head of a Girl, ca. 1645, oil on panel, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)

Still Life with Meat and Basket of Cheese, ca. 1627,
oil on panel, Peter Claesz (1597-1661)

(L) Alchemist, 1684, oil on copper, Jacob Toorenvliet (1640-1719).
(R) Portrait of the Pharmacist Dr. Ysbrand Ysbrandsz. (1634/35-1705)
in an Interior, 1667, oil on canvas, Cornelis de Man (1621-1706)

(L) Bearded Man in a Fur Hat, ca. 1656, oil on panel, School of
Rembrandt van Rijn. (R) Smoker Seated at a Table, ca.
1654-57, oil on copper, Gabriel Metsu (1629-1667)

View from the Dunes Out to Sea, ca. 1655, oil on panel,
Adriaen van de Velde (1636-1672)

(L) Boy Playing a Flute, ca. 1635, oil on canvas, Attributed to Dirck van
Santvoort (1610-1680). (R) Old Woman at a Window with a Candle,
1671, oil on panel, Gerrit Dou (1613-1675)

(L) Scene at an Inn, ca. 1648-50, oil on panel, Gerard ter Borch (1617-1681). (R) Encouragement to Drink, ca. 1648-50, oil on panel, Gerard ter Borch

The Departure of the Pilgrim Fathers from Delftshaven,
1620, oil on panel, Adam Willaerts (1577-1664)

(L) Woman Selling Game from a Stall, 1653-54, oil on canvas,
Gabriel Metsu (1629-1667). (R) Herring Seller and Boy,
1664, oil on panel, Gerrit Dou (1613-1675)

(L) Bookkeeper at His Desk, ca. 1627, oil on panel, Jan Lievens
(1607-1674). (R) Scholar at His Desk, ca. 1632,
oil on panel, Jacob Backer (1608/9-1651)

A Winter Landscape with Skaters and Kolf Players, ca. 1610-1620,
oil on copper, Adam van Breen (1585-1640)

(L) Petrus (Peter) Stuyvesant, ca. 1660-1669, oil on wood panel,
unidentified artist. (R) Portrait of Antonie Coopal, 1635,
oil on Brazilian chestnut, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)

(L) Young Woman Seated in an Interior, Reading a Letter, ca. 1658-1661, oil on panel, Gabriel Metsu (I629-1667). (R) Portrait of a Lady, Seated with a Music Book on Her Lap, ca. 1640-44, oil on canvas, Gerrit Dou (1613-1675)