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Explore the Dutch Golden Age in Netherlands

A marvelous time in the history of Netherlands - when science, art and trade thrived - comes alive during a brief visit

Delft may not seem the most obvious of cities to begin a quest to understand the Dutch Golden Age. After all, most visitors to the Netherlands make a beeline to Amsterdam, the nation's capital. But I've been told that there's something that I really should see in Delft's Prinsenhof Museum.

Two roughly punched bullet holes pock the grey surface of the otherwise white-painted plasterwork by a staircase within the former monastery. Framed glass prevents fingers from probing into the holes and an inscription, written in Dutch, refers to the historic event that took place on 10 July 1584. It was here that Balthasar Gérard assassinated the leader of the Dutch Revolt, William I, explains Annemarth Sterringa, my guide to the exhibition William the Silent is here! (which ran until 3 March 2019).

The exhibition tells the life story of the man regarded as the father of the nation. During the early years of the long revolt against Spanish rule, William's headquarters were within the building I'm now visiting. Annemarth has already explained that William's epithet 'the Silent' was derived from the fact that his native tongue was a form of German, rather than Dutch, so locals didn't regard him the chattiest of men. In 1580, William wrote The Apology, now displayed within the Prinsenhof, a document that ramped up tensions between the Spanish and Dutch, leading to the latter declaring independence less than a year later. Without these events, there would, most probably, have been no such thing as the Dutch Golden Age.

In 2019, museums and galleries in cities across Holland are commemorating the 350th anniversary of the death of Rembrandt van Rijn, one of the greatest artists of the 17th century. The revolt that began in the late-16th century was a catalyst for skilled Flemish workers to resettle in cities such as Delft, bringing the craftsmanship required for the lace making and pottery industries to flourish - the story of Delft Blue is told at the Royal Delft Experience. Wealthy citizens invested in industry and, as merchants, financed ships that transported goods around the planet. The canals and gabled brickwork houses of central Amsterdam are legacies from that era. So too are the artworks that affluent Dutch people commissioned.

At the Vermeer Centrum Delft, I learn about the life and works of Johannes Vermeer, the artist whose celebrated painting Girl With a Pearl Earring inspired the romantic movie of the same name starring Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. The original is displayed at the Mauritshuis in The Hague, which, until 15 September 2019, is showing all 18 of its paintings that have been attributed to Rembrandt in the exhibition Rembrandt and the Mauritshuis. That collection includes the sombre masterpiece The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp, which reflects the spirit of scientific and medical curiosity and advancement during the Dutch Golden Age. The Vermeer Centrum Delft, meanwhile, displays copies of all the local artists' paintings. I snap a Vermeer-like selfie on a set that recreates how light slants downwards from a window - a feature of several of Vermeer's works.

Before departing from Delft, I stroll onto the nearby market square to visit the Nieuw Kerk, a church whose spire stretches nearly 109 metres into the overcast sky. The place of worship's name translates as 'new church', though its construction began back in 1396. That name, I'm guessing, helped residents differentiate it from the 13th-century church with a leaning tower - caused by subsidence into water-logged ground - that stands across the Oude Delft canal from the Prinsenhof Museum. Significantly, the Nieuw Kerk holds the tomb of William the Silent, who happens to be an ancestor of Willem-Alexander, the present King of the Netherlands.

The yellow trains that run on the Dutch railway network make travelling between urban centres in the Netherlands straightforward. Rather than purchasing tickets each time I travel, I make use of an OV-chipkaart, a smart card that I've loaded with credit, touching it in and out at stations. The journey between Delft and the city of Dordrecht takes a little over half-an-hour.

During the Dutch Golden Age, landscape artists were drawn to Dordrecht because of its light. The city stands on an island. Several artists painted cityscapes from Zwijndrecht, across the broad water of the Oude Maas river. To view the location where artists set up their easels, I board a boat operated by the Barone family, who moved to Dordrecht from Venice. Due to its canals and popularity with artists, the city - perhaps a tad unimaginatively? - was long ago nicknamed 'the Venice of the North'.

One of Dordrecht's most renowned artists of the Dutch Golden Age is Aelbert Cuyp, who influenced the likes of Thomas Gainsborough and J.M.W. Turner. Several of Cuyp's works are displayed in the city's museum. One - a life-size duck painting - catches my eye. "This is unique in art history because it is a portrait. It's not just a duck, it's a duck with a complete story," explains Sander Paarlberg, the museum's Head of Conservation, causing me to burst into laughter. Named Sijchtghen, the duck was 20 years old when painted. Cuyp wrote a poem that tells how her legs had been broken, but healed, and that she eventually died at the prodigious age of 23.

My accommodation for the night is the Amrâth Grand Hotel Frans Hals in the city of Haarlem. In common with so many hotels outside of the Dutch capital, rooms in the four-star property were significantly less expensive than those of the same category in Amsterdam when I was seeking out a suitable place to stay. The moderately-priced train journey between the two cities takes just 15 minutes. The combination of value and accessibility explains my choice of location.

Prior to travelling into Amsterdam, I plan on visiting the Frans Hals Museum to discover how Hals' use of raw colours and loose brush strokes influenced artists such as Vincent van Gogh and John Singer Sargent. Those themes were explored in the exhibition Frans Hals and the Moderns which ended on 24 February 2019. Hals, unlike Rembrandt, fell into obscurity following his death. It took the writings of a French art critic, during the 1860s, to catapult Hals back into the public spotlight, resulting in the value of his works multiplying.

It now seems improbable that anyone would ever trim an artwork by one of the artists of the Dutch Golden Age simply to fit it in a room. Yet that's precisely what happened, three centuries ago, to Rembrandt's masterpiece, commonly known as The Night Watch, so that it could be shown in Amsterdam's town hall. The painting depicts a group of militia men in a naturalistic way and is prominently displayed in the Rijksmuseum's Galley of Honour. From July, the canvas will be restored while still on display.

In the meantime, All the Rembrandts, an exhibition encompassing the Rijksmuseum's collection of 22 paintings, 60 drawings and more than 300 prints, looks set to draw visitors. The exhibition, a centrepiece of the celebrations of Rembrandt's legacy, continues until 10 June 2019.

After checking into my hotel, I stroll towards the Haarlem's marketplace on the lookout for a place to dine. Quickly spotting sushi, tapas and Mexican restaurants, I can't help wondering if someone like Hals would view today as a golden age?
wknd@khaleejtimes.com