The breaching of the Spanish hold on Holland let loose one of the most fertile floods of artistic activity in European history. This was the age of Frans Hals and Rembrandt, of Vermeer, De Hooch, Jan Steen and Ruisdael. By the diversity of their portraits and interiors, their landscapes, seascapes and still lifes, and their genre painting, the Dutch masters have bequeathed to us almost every detail of their times. This study concentrates on Dutch painting in the 17th century in an effort to testify to the richness of this superb era.