The paintings and career of Cornelis de Man: Art and mercantile culture in seventeenth-century Delft (The Netherlands)

This study examines the forces which shaped the career and art of Cornelis de Man, and the ways in which his paintings investigate the role of commerce in seventeenth-century Dutch society. De Man's work is remarkable for the prominence it gives to so many aspects of commercial life. His pictures make very specific references to many of the circumstances, activities, and overseas ventures that led to Dutch economic prosperity as well as to the wide variety of products that became available at this time.; The first chapter opens with a discussion of De Man's earliest dated painting of a whale oil factory in the North Sea, a picture that documents his early pictorial interest in a particular commercial venture in Dutch history. This is followed by an introduction to De Man's genre paintings. Particular attention is given to the ways that he places recognizable motifs and figures, such as the goldweigher, in contemporary settings to consider aspects of seventeenth-century socio-economic life. Particularly notable here is De Man's construction of the merchant-scholar figure, identifiable by his dress in a quilted Japanese robe. This figure straddles the realms of commerce and learning, thus allowing De Man to consider the inter-connections between those realms as a way of making sense of the social conditions of his time.; Chapter 2 looks at De Man's family background and how his relation to a number of apothecaries and silversmiths may have inspired him to paint commercial themes. The focus of chapter 3 is what portraits can tell us about seventeenth-century mercantile culture, and here De Man's acquaintances with prominent Delft citizens and the possible audience for his art are discussed. Chapter 4 focuses on De Man's genre images that refer specifically to overseas travel and trade. A concluding discussion of the representation of non-European people considers how De Man and other artists explored the ways that Dutch society might come to terms with the social changes that accompanied increased contact with people around the world.