At Home in the 17th Century [Paperback]

The tangible world behind the paintings: a fresh look at the 17th century through the real objects of everyday life

Published with Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.

What household belongings did people own in the 17th century? At Home in the 17th Centuryopens the door to everyday domestic life and brings the reader closer to the people of the timefrom everyday objects such as combs and brooms used for personal care and household chores, to wedding rings and christening gifts that marked important life events. Instead of familiar idealized genre paintings, this book focuses on real life. Accompanying the eponymous exhibition at the Rijksmuseum, this book, designed by Irma Boom, includes commentary from several of the museum's curators delving into the world behind the paintings: the residents and the objects that surrounded them. What people left behindfurniture, utensils and even pottery fragments found in cesspoolsgives a picture of how they furnished and used their homes. The result is an intimate look behind the front door of the 17th centuryinto a world that is sometimes surprisingly recognizable, but often radically different as well.