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Detail of a still life showing a laded table
Dutch Art

The Royal Collection has one of the finest holdings of seventeenth century Dutch paintings in the world

Genre

Connoisseurs admired the painstaking finish and astonishing detail of Dutch artists. Such skill was not, however, respected in academic circles, where imagination and invention was valued above manual dexterity. Exacerbating this lack of intellectual rigour was the subject matter, which was considered vulgar and too low for the elevating nature of artistic practice. This was particularly true of genre painting, which focused on everyday events in the lives of ordinary people, rather than drawing on edifying moments from the Bible or mythology. Such attitudes did not dampen enthusiasm for such work, however, and even inspired a raft of imitators, the most illustrious being Sir David Wilkie, a favourite of George IV.


The income from your ticket contributes directly to The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity. The aims of The Royal Collection Trust are the care and conservation of the Royal Collection, and the promotion of access and enjoyment through exhibitions, publications, loans and educational activities.