Asia in Amsterdam: The Culture of Luxury in the Golden Age

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 2015 Book. New. Soft cover. 1st Edition. English text; Rijksmuseum edition; Paperback; 356 pages; 22.5 x 30.8 cm; 1.83 Kg; STILL WRAPPED IN PLASTIC.; Catalogue from the exhibitions held at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands from October 2015 to January 2016 and at the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts from February to June 2016.; In the Golden Age, Dutch merchants shipped countless treasures from Asia to Amsterdam, enriching both increasingly prosperous Dutch households and the imagination of artists and craftspeople. Made of special, precious materials and adorned with intriguing exotic patterns no one had ever seen before, the Asian treasures caused a sensation. Fine white porcelain with blue designs from China, lacquer work from Japan, gems from India, silk fabrics and textiles from China, Japan and India, remarkably shaped shells, black ebony. The Dutch gasped at the beauty of it all and enthusiastically incorporated these treasures into their hitherto more modest interiors. Not only the super-rich, but also a large part of the growing middle class could afford to buy these exclusive items. Artists shaped new ways of looking at the world around them. In essays and entries by over thirty expert authors, this catalogue examines how a culture of luxury developed in the Golden Age..