Dutch and Flemish Painting at the Hermitage

The Hermitage holds a first-rate collection of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish painting — the “golden age” of Netherlandish art. It takes in the great Flemish names Rubens and Van Dyck, the brilliant still lifes of Snyders and a whole room of cosy “small Dutch” pictures. The rooms are on the first floor of the New Hermitage, beside Rembrandt.

Rembrandt is treated separately

One important note first: Rembrandt, the Hermitage’s greatest Dutchman, has his own room (254) and a separate page. This page is about the rest of the Dutch and Flemish school — Rubens, Van Dyck, Snyders and the dozens of “small Dutch” masters who surround the Rembrandt room.

The Flemish: Rubens and Van Dyck

• Peter Paul Rubens (Room 247). The centre of the Flemish holdings: over two dozen paintings and oil sketches across every genre — religious and mythological scenes, portraits, landscapes. The sweeping, full-blooded, Baroque painting of the head of the Flemish school.
• Anthony van Dyck (Room 246). The celebrated portraitist and pupil of Rubens: the Hermitage has some two dozen of his works — elegant aristocratic portraits that set the fashion for the state portrait across Europe.
• Frans Snyders. A master of the monumental still life and of “market” scenes — fish, meat, vegetables: an abundance of food, game and fruit painted with Flemish sweep.
• Jacob Jordaens and other Flemings round out a rich, festive school.

The Dutch: the Tent-Roofed Hall (Room 249)

Dutch 17th-century painting is gathered in the Tent-Roofed Hall — its pitched, painted ceiling makes the room look like a tent. Here are the “small Dutch”: small-format genre scenes, landscapes, seascapes, still lifes and portraits. This is art of a new kind — not for palaces and churches but for citizens’ homes: everyday life, comfort, light in a window, the quiet beauty of the ordinary.

Famous works

Among the things worth lingering over in these rooms:

• Rubens — the Descent from the Cross, the Union of Earth and Water, Perseus and Andromeda, portraits and landscapes: they show how varied the master was, from religious drama to sensuous mythology.
• Van Dyck — state portraits of aristocrats and a self-portrait of the young artist; it was he who set the European standard for the elegant portrait.
• Snyders — huge “market” pieces and still lifes of game, fish and fruit, painted with an almost tangible abundance.
• Small Dutch — genre scenes, seascapes and landscapes (among the masters, Frans Hals and landscape painters such as Ruisdael), and fine “breakfast” and “bouquet” still lifes.

Even a quick walk through these rooms shows how rich and varied the Dutch “golden age” was. Don’t hurry past the small Dutch: up close these little pictures reveal a remarkable delicacy — the play of light, the texture of fabric and metal, the tiny details of daily life that are the whole point of looking.

How the schools differ

It helps to keep the difference in mind. The Flemish (the south, Catholic, under the Spanish crown) means Baroque sweep, large formats, church and court: Rubens, Van Dyck, Snyders. The Dutch (the north, Protestant, a republic) means intimacy, everyday subjects, landscape and still life for the private home. The Hermitage lets you see both traditions side by side.

The “golden age” of the Netherlands

For the Netherlands the 17th century was a time of extraordinary flowering in painting. In the north, in the young Dutch Republic, newly prosperous citizens bought pictures for their homes in huge numbers — and a demand arose for small, “domestic” works: landscapes, seascapes, still lifes, genre scenes. Painters specialised: one spent a lifetime on ships, another on church interiors, a third on “breakfast pieces” with crockery and food. So arose an art of a new kind — secular, observant, turned toward real life.

In the south, in Flanders, under the Spanish crown and the strong influence of the Catholic Church, the picture stayed monumental and ceremonial: huge altarpieces, mythological compositions, state portraits. Rubens and his workshop were a veritable “factory” of the grand style, and Van Dyck carried the fashion for the aristocratic portrait across Europe. The Hermitage offers a rare chance to see both poles of this golden age in adjacent rooms.

Where to see it and how

Rooms 245–249 (Flemish and Dutch) are best walked together with the neighbouring Rembrandt room (254) — making a coherent “Netherlandish” route. Find your bearings with the floor plan; to fit them into your visit, see the one-day itinerary.

FAQ

Which rooms hold the Dutch and Flemish paintings? On the first floor of the New Hermitage: Rubens — Room 247, Van Dyck — 246, the “small Dutch” — the Tent-Roofed Hall (249).

How do the Flemish differ from the Dutch? The Flemish (Rubens, Van Dyck) means Baroque sweep, church and court; the Dutch means intimate everyday scenes, landscape and still life for the private home.

And where is Rembrandt? Rembrandt is in his own room, 254; he has a separate page.

Who are the “small Dutch”? 17th-century Dutch masters who painted small genre scenes, landscapes and still lifes for citizens.

This is an unofficial, informational website. The display and arrangement of works change — confirm details on the official museum website.