An Embarrassment of Riches: Tracing the Dutch Golden Age in Amsterdam & Maastricht’s TEFAF

In the 17th century, the Netherlands ushered in an era of unparalleled economic and cultural prosperity. Following the Northern Netherlands’ emancipation from the Spanish Habsburgs, they quickly became one of the richest nations in the world, holding the Americas, East Indies, Persia, Arabia, Japan, India, and China all within their trading realm. This Dutch Golden Age brought on a flowering of wealth among the rising merchant class and, in turn, generated unprecedented support for the arts and sciences. Our tour will highlight the treasures of this era, extending into the modern art market with special focus on The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) in Maastricht.  This trip takes us on a journey that illuminates the achievements and splendors of this seafaring culture throughout the centuries.

March 8

Our tour begins in the fortified medieval town of Valkenburg, situated in an area lined with castles, cobblestoned streets, and charming landscapes. We receive a tour of the historic town before our group gathers in the evening at our accommodations in Maastricht for welcome drinks and dinner at the magnificent country estate Chateau St Gerlach.

D included
Overnight: MAASTRICHT

March 9

Considered one of the oldest towns in Holland, we explore the bustling center of Maastricht with visits to the Vrijthof, the town’s main square, where we encounter the Basilica of Saint Servatius. The Basilica was built in the 11th century on the saint’s grave and features Romanesque and Gothic elements with a treasury holding important relics and artifacts. We proceed to TEFAF, widely regarded as the world’s leading fair of fine art, antiques, and design, for exclusive dealer-led tours of the show. Our day concludes with an exquisite dinner at the Bistrot de Liege.

B, D included
Overnight: MAASTRICHT

March 10

We are greeted by curator Lars Hendrikman at the most recognizable of Maastricht’s landmarks, the Bonnefantenmuseum. Designed by architect Aldo Rossi in 1884 and located on the bank of the Maas, the museum houses a spectacular collection of fine and decorative art surveying the medieval period to about 1650. We continue on to the privately-owned Kasteel Amstenrade, built in the 18th century after a design by the Flemish architect Bartholomé Digneffe. Returning to the heart of Maastricht, we make a second pilgrimage to TEFAF for an afternoon of tours, browsing, and shopping opportunities.

B, L included
Overnight: MAASTRICHT

March 11

Departing Maastricht, our morning takes us to the Kasteel Hillenraad, a moated castle dating to the 14th century. We continue onto the Kasteel Maurick for lunch, which has both a medieval and 17th-century building and features an impressive paintings and fine art collection. Nearby we visit the central Dutch town of Utrecht to tour the Rietveld Schroderhuis and the Erasmuslaan, built in 1924 by architect Gerrit Rietveld in a design that was meant to encompass “all that was modern.” Today the house functions as the foremost example of De Stijl architecture. The day’s journey concludes at the Netherlandish capital of Amsterdam, which served as one of the most important trading ports for the Dutch in the 17th century. We retire at the Hotel Pulitzer, situated amongst the city’s iconic canals.

B, L, D included
Overnight: AMSTERDAM

March 12

We experience firsthand the craftsmanship and artistic achievements of the Dutch throughout the ages as we receive back-to-back curator-led tours of the unmatched collection of  fine and decorative art at the Rijksmuseum. In the afternoon, we depart for the Amsterdam Museum, the city’s ode to its vibrant history from the Medieval period to the present day. Although the origins of the Oude Kerk can be traced to the early 13th century, the building that stands today is a 14th-century reconstruction that evolved from a single-aisled church to a grand basilica over the years. The nearby Ons’Lieve Heer op Solder is a 17th-century canal house, church, and museum in the center of Amsterdam. Only a stone’s throw away sits the Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam’s second parish church, begun in the 14th century. Unusually ornate for a Dutch protestant interior, this church features stunning stained glass and frescoes from the 15th century.

B, L included
Overnight: AMSTERDAM

March 13

Our day begins in the Hague, situated on the North Sea coast and the seat of the Dutch parliament. We proceed to Mauritshuis, where an exquisite collection of 17th-century Old Master works are on display, including pieces by Rembrandt and Vermeer. The house was completed in 1644 for John Maurits of Nassau in the Northern Dutch Classical Style and became the repository for the Dutch Royal Painting Collection following his death in 1679. The Gemeentemuseum is home to one of the largest collections of Dutch Delftware in the world, a paragon of Dutch prosperity in the Golden Age. The museum also contains the most comprehensive assemblage of paintings by the Modern master Piet Mondrian. Our afternoon takes us to the idyllic coastal town of Wassenaar where we are received at a splendid private collection before returning to Amsterdam for the evening.

B, L included
Overnight: AMSTERDAM

March 14

We journey to a magnificent private canal house on the Keizersgrach. Departing for the nearby Huis Barlotti, we explore a circa 1660 canal house that was built for Willem van den Heuvel to Beichlingen, one of the richest men in Amsterdam in the late 17th century. Our afternoon is highlighted by an elegant lunch in a private farmhouse. We are greeted by the curator of the Museum van Loon, located in a house designed in 1672 by the Dutch architect Adriaan Dortsman and features original 17th century interiors. Our tour concludes with an elegant final dinner at the Huis Van Loon. 

B, L, D included
Overnight: AMSTERDAM

March 15

Departures from the Schipol Airport for returning flights stateside.

B