Surveys the golden age of Dutch painting in the 17th century. This edition has been updated, providing readers with an account of the historical and social context of the period, the development of Dutch art from its Mannerist phase to its more academic style at the end of the century.

This new edition of an established survey of the Golden Age of Dutch painting has been revised, corrected, and updated in the text, notes, and bibliography as a result of new scholarship. The author has written a new preface to this edition. Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals, Ruisdael, Cuyp, de Witte, van Goyen, van de Velde, Hobbema, Fabritius, de Hooch, and Saenrendam are some of the painters included and discussed.