Floor plan

Time and place17th-century Netherlands

17th-century Netherlands

Portrait of Tieleman Roosterman, by Frans Hals, 1634
The Lovesick Maiden, by Jan Steen, ca. 1660
A work made of oil on canvas.
An elegantly dressed man and woman ride horses toward us and to our right in a landscape with low, rolling hills, stone buildings, and trees in this horizontal painting. The two horses and riders take up the right half of the composition. Both people have pale skin and look at us. The woman has a high forehead, a straight nose, a round face, and curly blond hair falling to her shoulders. She wears a sapphire-blue dress with slashed sleeves to reveal a white garment beneath. Her hat is adorned with blue and white feathers, and she wears a string of pearls around her neck. The legs of her white horse darken to black below the knees, and the bridle is tied with blue bows near the horse’s ears. The sidesaddle sits on a woven, rug-like blanket. Next to her, to our right, the man rides a larger chestnut-brown horse with a white triangle between its eyes. The man looks at us out of the corners of his dark eyes under gathered brows. He has a long, straight nose and is cleanshaven, though a hint of a five o’clock shadow slightly darkens his cleft chin. His light brown hair falls in curls down past his shoulders, and he wears a dark brown coat with voluminous white fabric rippling out above tan-colored gloves. He holds a riding crop in his right hand, on our left, resting against his hip. Near the white horse’s feet, to our left, a dark brown dog with a white nose sniffs at a plant. Behind it, another reddish-brown dog sniffs the ground near the horse’s back hoof. A third dog stands beyond, partially obscured by bushes and plants growing in the lower left corner of the canvas. A man wearing a tall black, wide-brimmed hat and carrying a long staff leads two slender dogs resembling grayhounds on leashes along the path, a little behind the riders. Two more elegantly dressed men ride horses toward us father back on the path. Sand-colored stone buildings, hazy in the distance, are clustered around a squared tower, possibly a bell tower, to our left. The land dips gently to the horizon line in the deep distance. The riders are silhouetted against a swirling slate-blue cloud that fills most of the sky in the top two-thirds of the painting. The sky clears to pale blue to our left and then warms to golden yellow along the horizon, beyond the buildings. The artist signed the painting near the lower left corner: “A. Cuijp.”
This is a drawing of a mythological or allegorical scene. The scene features various figures of different ages engaged in activities around a central structure resembling an ornate draped curtain held up by columns. There is a celestial element shining down from the top, and an emblem or coat of arms held by winged figures at the very top. The figures are dressed in flowing robes and interact with each other and objects such as a globe and a staff. The composition is rich with symbolism, typical of artwork focused on narrative depth and storytelling.
A work made of oil on panel.

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Works made in the Netherlands in the 17th century.

First room, north wall

  1. Portrait of Tieleman Roosterman, by Frans Hals, 1634
    Portrait of Tieleman RoostermanFrans Hals, 1634Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. The Lovesick Maiden, by Jan Steen, ca. 1660
    The Lovesick MaidenJan Steen, ca. 1660Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. A work made of oil on canvas.
    The Dutch Whaling FleetAbraham Storck, c. 1695Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

First room, south wall

  1. An elegantly dressed man and woman ride horses toward us and to our right in a landscape with low, rolling hills, stone buildings, and trees in this horizontal painting. The two horses and riders take up the right half of the composition. Both people have pale skin and look at us. The woman has a high forehead, a straight nose, a round face, and curly blond hair falling to her shoulders. She wears a sapphire-blue dress with slashed sleeves to reveal a white garment beneath. Her hat is adorned with blue and white feathers, and she wears a string of pearls around her neck. The legs of her white horse darken to black below the knees, and the bridle is tied with blue bows near the horse’s ears. The sidesaddle sits on a woven, rug-like blanket. Next to her, to our right, the man rides a larger chestnut-brown horse with a white triangle between its eyes. The man looks at us out of the corners of his dark eyes under gathered brows. He has a long, straight nose and is cleanshaven, though a hint of a five o’clock shadow slightly darkens his cleft chin. His light brown hair falls in curls down past his shoulders, and he wears a dark brown coat with voluminous white fabric rippling out above tan-colored gloves. He holds a riding crop in his right hand, on our left, resting against his hip. Near the white horse’s feet, to our left, a dark brown dog with a white nose sniffs at a plant. Behind it, another reddish-brown dog sniffs the ground near the horse’s back hoof. A third dog stands beyond, partially obscured by bushes and plants growing in the lower left corner of the canvas. A man wearing a tall black, wide-brimmed hat and carrying a long staff leads two slender dogs resembling grayhounds on leashes along the path, a little behind the riders. Two more elegantly dressed men ride horses toward us father back on the path. Sand-colored stone buildings, hazy in the distance, are clustered around a squared tower, possibly a bell tower, to our left. The land dips gently to the horizon line in the deep distance. The riders are silhouetted against a swirling slate-blue cloud that fills most of the sky in the top two-thirds of the painting. The sky clears to pale blue to our left and then warms to golden yellow along the horizon, beyond the buildings. The artist signed the painting near the lower left corner: “A. Cuijp.”
    Lady and Gentleman on HorsebackAelbert Cuyp, c. 1655, reworked 1660/1665Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. This is a drawing of a mythological or allegorical scene. The scene features various figures of different ages engaged in activities around a central structure resembling an ornate draped curtain held up by columns. There is a celestial element shining down from the top, and an emblem or coat of arms held by winged figures at the very top. The figures are dressed in flowing robes and interact with each other and objects such as a globe and a staff. The composition is rich with symbolism, typical of artwork focused on narrative depth and storytelling.
    Title Page for G. de St. Vincent, Opus Geometricum Quadraturae CirculiCornelis Galle II, 1647Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. A work made of oil on panel.
    Girl Standing before a MirrorCaspar Netscher, 1668Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Second room, south wall

  1. A work made of pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash on ivory laid paper, laid down on cream laid paper.
    The Coronation of the Virgin and The Flight into EgyptJan de Bisschop, 1648/71Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Young Woman with a Water Pitcher, by Johannes Vermeer, ca. 1662
    Young Woman with a Water PitcherJohannes Vermeer, ca. 1662Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Shown from the chest up, a light-skinned man with a wrinkled face and a silvery gray beard and hair gazes into the distance in this oval portrait painting. His chest is angled to our right but he turns his head to look off over his other shoulder, to our left. His slate-blue eyes are a little sunken and lined with wrinkles. Shading marks the hollows of the temple and cheek we can see. His thin lips are closed and framed by his curly mustache and beard. A dark, mahogany-brown cap is pushed back on his head, and his brown jacket has gold-colored buttons down the front. The collar of a cream-colored shirt shows through at the neckline. The background is dark olive green. The artist signed the work near the man’s shoulder, to our right: “GDOV.”
    Bust of a Bearded ManGerrit Dou, c. 1642/1645Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  4. Study of a Young Woman, by Johannes Vermeer, ca. 1665–67
    Study of a Young WomanJohannes Vermeer, ca. 1665–67Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Second room, north wall

  1. A work made of oil on panel.
    Alpheus and ArethusaMoses van Uyttenbroeck, 1626Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. The image shows a pastoral scene in black and white with fine line work. A small bridge with a circular archway crosses a stream. A dirt path winds through the landscape flanked by grass and bushes. A rocky cliff ascends on the left with a tower-like structure partially obscured by vegetation. The horizon features a cloudy sky, with swirling lines indicating motion. In the distance, a tall, thin structure, possibly a spire or chimney, stands amid faint hills and trees. The scene conveys a serene atmosphere through hatching and cross-hatching techniques.
    Cascade under a Stone BridgeJan van de Velde II, c. 1616Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. This is a drawing of multiple sheep in various poses. The full-page illustration depicts several sheep lying down. The fur of the sheep is textured with detailed pencil strokes, and there are subtle hints of shadow beneath each animal. There is a combination of different angles and poses, showing the sheep from different perspectives. The drawing also contains some rough sketches and outlines, suggesting movement and presence without complete detail. The background is plain.
    SheepNicolaes BerchemCourtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  4. The image shows a woman standing close to us, slightly turned to the side, looking down, with a hand supporting her draped attire and the other grasping a stick. Next to her, a donkey drinks from a shallow stream, carrying a large wicker basket with barrels inside. A dog is splashing in the water beside them. The horizon is low, meeting a rise of land with trees and shrubs, leading the eye to a distant pathway where a couple of small figures can be seen. The sky above has sketchily rendered clouds. The style involves fine, detailed linework, characteristic of etching, emphasizing textures such as the fur of the donkey and the folds of the fabric. The color palette is monochromatic, relying on various intensities of ink and line density to render shadows and highlights.
    Woman Crossing a StreamKarel Dujardin, 1662Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Third room, north wall

  1. This is a drawing of two nude figures standing beneath a fruit-bearing tree surrounded by elements of nature. The drawing depicts a scene in a lush outdoor setting, featuring intricately detailed branches and leaves of the large tree as well as an eagle-like bird perched nearby. In the background are additional trees extending into a forested area, and a winding path leading into the distance. The foreground includes various plants and the ground is littered with their leaves. The figures are positioned at the center, engaged in a gesture of pointing towards the fruit in the tree. The scene is rendered in fine details with attention to the texture and flow of the natural elements surrounding the figures.
    Adam and Eve before the Tree of KnowledgeJan Saenredam, 1604Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. A work made of oil on panel.
    Breakfast Still LifeWillem Claesz. Heda, 1647Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago