ABOUT THIS BOOK
The Dutch Republic was a cultural powerhouse in the modern era, producing lasting masterpieces in painting and publishing, and in the process transforming those fields from modest trades to booming industries. This book asks the question of how such a small nation could become such a major player in those fields. Claartje Rasterhoff shows how industrial organisations played a role in shaping patterns of growth and innovations. As early modern Dutch cultural industries were concentrated geographically, highly networked, and institutionally embedded, they were able to reduce uncertainty in the marketplace and stimulate the commercial and creative potential of painters and publishers-though those successes eventually came up against the limits of a saturated domestic market and an aversion to risk on the part of producers that ultimately brought an end to the boom.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Claartje Rasterhoff studied history at the University of Amsterdam and Utrecht University. She currently works as a post-doctoral researcher and lecturer in Arts and Culture Studies at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

This book is structured according to economic sector and chronological development (8 chapters).1 Introduction1.1 Cultural production in the Golden Age1.2 Cultural industries1.3 Spatial clusters1.4 Datasets1.5 Outline of the book2 Window of opportunity, 1580-16102.1 Introduction2.2 The Dutch Revolt, an external shock2.3 New publishers, new markets2.4 New markets, new products2.5 The organisation of the trade2.6 Conclusion3 Unlocking potential in the book industry, 1610-16603.1 Introduction3.2 Democratisation of demand3.3 Paper, type and copy3.4 Local specialization3.5 Financial administration3.6 Guild regulations and auctions3.7 Censorship and privileges3.8 Competition3.9 Conclusion4 Publishers in search of new markets, 1660-18004.1 Introduction4.2 Domestic demand4.3 Internationalisation4.4 Related and supporting industries4.5 Partnerships, mergers, and financial tricks4.6 Guilds, from production to trade4.7 Skills and routines4.8 Competition4.9 ConclusionPART 2: PAINTING5 A period of transition, 1580-16105.1 Introduction5.2 Expansion of the art market5.3 Spatial clustering and the impact of immigration5.4 Measuring artistic prominence5.5 Styles and genres5.6 Conclusion6 A new growth dynamic, 1610-16506.1 Introduction6.2 Golden Age painting6.3 From artistic novelties to product and process innovations6.4 Competition: quantity and quality6.5 Specialisation and product variants6.6 Geography of production6.7 Local schools of painting?6.8 Market organisation6.9 Conclusion7 Transformation of the art market, 1650-18007.1 Introduction7.2 Artistic decline and the art-historical bias7.3 Substitute forms of interior decoration7.4 Internationalisation and a lively second hand market7.5 Quality uncertainty and creative (re)production7.6 Occupational and social differentiation7.7 Academies7.8 Geography7.9 Conclusion8 Conclusion8.1 Summary of the research8.2 Early modern Dutch cultural industries8.3 Industrial life cycles of early modern Dutch cultural industries8.4 Spatial clustering as an explanatory framework 8.5 Dutch cultural industries from an international perspectiveSummary in DutchAcknowledgementsPrimary sourcesSelected Bibliography