Dutch Masters From the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Exhibition themes:
Society and religion

In 1631 the French philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650), who was himself a member of the colourful band of immigrants who found a haven in the Northern Netherlands, wrote to a friend abroad: 'In what other country in the world can one find so many of the pleasures of life alongside all imaginable oddities? In what other country can one enjoy such total freedom?' The picture that Descartes painted was not, of course, entirely accurate. However, while there was no question of total freedom, in comparison with other European countries at this time, there was a considerable degree of tolerance in the Dutch Republic, dictated by both practical and ideological considerations. While in official documents Calvinism was referred to as the only true Christian religion, attempts on the part of its believers to accord it the status of State Church proved fruitless, since so many Dutch citizens held other religious beliefs. In 1672 one-third of the population of the Republic was Catholic, one-third was Calvinist, and the rest consisted of Jewish immigrants or members of one or other of the dissident Protestant movements. Rembrandt's intimate portrait of the Jewish physician Ephraïm Bueno (1599-1665) and Frans Hals's Portrait of a minister attest to the variety of religions, nationalities and cultural backgrounds which co-existed within the Republic.