Masters of the Everyday: Dutch Artists in the Age of Vermeer
Dutch Artists in the Age of Vermeer

The Dutch artists of the 17th century painted ordinary people doing everyday things. They offer us a glimpse into the rumbustious life of village taverns and peasant cottages, and the quiet domesticity of courtyards and parlours.
While the subject-matter may be ordinary – the preparation of food, eating and drinking, the enjoyment of music or a family game – the painting is rich and jewel-like, with equal attention paid to a discarded clay pipe as to a fine silk drape. The meticulously documented details often allude to a work's deeper meaning or to moral messages that would have been familiar to the contemporary viewer.
Presenting 27 masterpieces from the Royal Collection, the exhibition includes works by Gerrit Dou, Gabriel Metsu, Jan Steen and Pieter de Hooch, and Johannes Vermeer's A Lady at the Virginal with a Gentleman.
Exhibition Highlights
Johannes Vermeer (Delft 1632-Delft 1675)
Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman
Gerrit Dou (Leiden 1613-Leiden 1675)
A Girl chopping Onions
Gerard ter Borch (Zwolle 1617-Deventer 1681)
A Gentleman pressing a Lady to drink
Jan Steen (Leiden 1626-Leiden 1679)
A Woman at her Toilet
Events programme
Map & directions
By train
The nearest train stations are London Victoria (10 minute walk) or London Charing Cross (20 minute walk).
Visit National Rail Enquiries for times and fares.
By underground
The nearest tube stations are Victoria, Green Park, St. James's Park and Hyde Park Corner (all approximately 10 minutes walk).
For further information visit the Transport for London website.
By coach / bus
Bus numbers 11, 211, C1 and C10 stop on Buckingham Palace Road. Victoria Coach Station is a 10-minute walk from the Palace.
For further information visit the Transport for London website.