Gezelschap in zeventiende-eeuwse kleding c. 1846 - 1882

Cornelis Springer made this watercolor drawing, “Gezelschap in zeventiende-eeuwse kleding”, sometime in the mid-19th century. It depicts a group of men dressed in what the artist imagines to be 17th-century clothing. Springer was a Dutch artist known for his cityscapes, and his interest in the 17th century reflects a broader trend in 19th-century Dutch art, which saw a revival of interest in the Dutch Golden Age. This revival was linked to a sense of national pride and a desire to define a distinct Dutch identity. But this image is also interesting from an institutional perspective. The Rijksmuseum, where this drawing is held, was founded in 1800 to showcase Dutch art and history. Artists like Springer, with their nostalgic visions of the past, played a key role in shaping the museum's collection and defining what it meant to be Dutch. To fully understand the image, we might ask, what sources did Springer use to reconstruct this vision of the past? And what social or political purposes did this reconstruction serve in the context of 19th-century Netherlands?