In the present paper, I have examined Jan Luyken’s emblematic prints from the perspective of Dutch material culture. I began with the comments from contemporary foreign travelers who observed the seventeenth-century Dutch material culture. Next, I examined the Dutch house structure and its ornamentation practice represented in Het Leerzaam Huisraad. Finally I assessed to what extent Luyken’s prints mirror reality in an actual Dutch home. The use and the value of each object and their availability in seventeenth-century Dutch home were also examined. Finally, I discussed the readers and buyers of Het Leerzaam Huisraad and Luyken’s strategy for achieving the success of his emblem book.
Genre painting and prints reveal a rich and varied material culture in their representation of the everyday material world. Although some recent scholars have questioned the veracity of objects in the seventeenth-century genre image, the household utensils represented in Het Leerzaam Huisraad really did exist and reflect contemporary material culture.
Material culture displayed in Dutch homes, as evidenced by inventories, paintings, and prints, are parallel to those in Luyken’s Het Leerzaam Huisraad. Luyken chose a home interior setting to depict his subject matter, household articles. Luyken’s stoves, plates, cooking pots, and pans are taken from real life and occur frequently in contemporary paintings. He also includes newly introduced household utensils, and their style and design reflect changing tastes of Dutch consumers after Rampjaar (the year of the disasters in 1672). By observing his prints, readers could surmise some aspects of Dutch material culture and its ideal representation in art. Considering the various qualities of tiles and delftware, Dutch consumer culture did not discriminate against certain people and places that were not wealthy. Everybody was interested in decorating their homes and purchasing ornamental goods. This enabled Dutch artists to depict their everyday material world and Het Leerzaam Huisraad was its result.
Luyken’s interest in the material world and its representation demonstrates his concern for the consumers of this book. The presence of the costly objects in Dutch genre painting is often mentioned as a way for artists to make their work as attractive as possible to their purchasers. Luyken’s inclusion of luxury commodities and lavish decor reflect his desire as an artist to make his work more charming. This also reflects good taste and economic well-being of the seventeenth-century Dutch buyers.