With 170 treasures from China, Japan, India and Batavia, ‘Asia > Amsterdam. Luxury in the Golden Age’ tells the story of the excitement created by the Asian treasures that were shipped to Holland in the 17th century. Lacquer work, ivory, silver, silk, ebony, jewellery and enormous quantities of porcelain poured into Amsterdam, the then bustling ‘capital of the world’, to enrich the interiors of the increasingly prosperous Dutch bourgeoisie.
170 treasures from 60 collections
The exhibition ‘Asia > Amsterdam. Luxury in the Golden Age’ also presents many 17th century paintings: still-lifes and portraits of citizens who had themselves painted among their newly acquired items of Asian luxury. The exhibition is being organised in cooperation with the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, USA. The loan items originate in such far-flung places as Moscow, St Petersburg, Versailles, London, Oxford, Madrid and Stockholm.