The Golden Age of Dutch Painting

The Liberec collection of the so-called "little masters" (in contrast to the "greats," such as Rembrandt van Rijn or Jan Vermeer) was formed in the 1960s thanks to the efforts of the then director, Dr. Hana Seifertová. An exception is a rare still life by Jan Davidsz de Heem, acquired from the legacy of the industrialist Heinrich Liebieg. Several paintings were also purchased in the last fifteen years with financial support from special funds of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

In terms of representation of artistic centers, there are examples of the pictorial production from Flemish and Dutch cities such as Amsterdam, Antwerp, Haarlem, Leiden, and others.

In terms of thematic distribution, the collection features portraits (Jakob Adriaensz. Backer), biblical (Vincent Sellaer) and mythological themes, scenes from Roman history (Frans van Mieris), depictions of everyday life across different social classes (Jan Baptist Weenix), several types of landscape painting, such as views of Paris (Cornelis Beelt), seascapes (Wouter Knijff), and idealized landscapes of the sunny Italian Campagna. An inseparable part of the collection includes various types of still lifes, such as hunting still lifes (Jan Fyt), flower still lifes (Elias van den Broeck), or still lifes showcasing the diversity of materials in trompe l'oeil style (Jan Jansz van de Velde).

The core of the collection consists of Dutch paintings from the 17th century. Visitors can admire the wide range of interests of Dutch painters, their attention to detail, their sense of the poetry of everyday life, and their technical and technological skill. Behind the works lies a narrative about the strength of the rising democracy of the time, but also the unveiling of some of its darker aspects.