The accompanying article about the Dutch Golden Age focusses on society, religion and culture. There is also an article about the Eighty Years War, the Dutch Revolt against Spain. A concise broader picture is painted in History of the Netherlands.

People are listed here per category in order of year of birth.

Note: Many Dutchmen from this period had a middle name ending on szoon, which means son of. It is also commonly written as sz., for instance Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn.

Table of contents

1 Science 2 Painting 3 Architecture 4 Literature 5 Sculpture 6 Music 7 Exploration 8 Politics 9 Military

Science

• Simon Stevin (1548-1620) hydraulic engineer and mathematician
• Jan Leeghwater (1575-1650) hydraulic engineer
• Hugo Grotius (1583-1645) laid the foundations for international law
• René Descartes French philosopher lived in Leiden from 1628 till 1649.
• Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695) was a famous mathematician, physicist and astronomer
• Baruch de Spinoza (1632-1677) philosopher
• Anton van Leeuwenhoek who invented or greatly improved the microscope (opinions differ) and was the first to methodically study microscopic life, thus laying the foundations for the field of cell biology.

• Willem Drost, (1630-1680), historical and biblical paintings
• Frans Hals (ca. 1583-1666) portraits, schutterstukken, regent groups, genre pieces (inns, figures)
• Pieter Pieterszoon Lastman (1583-1633) historical and biblical paintings
• Jan van Goyen (1596-1656) landscapes
• Pieter Saenredam (1597-1665) church interiors, cityscapes
• Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669) historical and biblical paintings, portraits, schutterstukken, regent groups, genre pieces (figures)
• Jan Lievens (1607-1674) historical and biblical paintings, portraits
• Adriaen van Ostade (1610-1684) genre pieces (inns)
• Gerdard Dou (1613-1675) genre pieces (inns)
• Govert Flinck (1615-1660) historical and biblical paintings, portraits, schutterstukken
• Ferdinand Bol (1616-1680) historical and biblical paintings
• Albert Cuyp (1620-1691) Italian and Dutch landscapes
• Carel Fabritius (1622-1654) historical and biblical paintings, genre pieces (figures)
• Paulus Potter (1625-1654) landscapes
• Jan Steen (1626-1679) genre pieces (inns, family scenes)
• Pieter de Hooch (1629-1683) genre pieces (family scenes)
• Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) cityscapes, genre pieces (family scenes)
• Nicolaes Maes (1634-1693) portraits, genre pieces (family scenes, figures)

Architecture

• Lieven de Key (1560-1627), master builder of Haarlem. He still used a fair amount of ornamentation, built De Waag (1598), front of the Town Hall (1597), De Vleeshal (1602-1603), New Church tower (1613), all of which are in Haarlem
• Hendrick de Keyser (1565-1621). He preferred a style that was much sober than his contemporary Lieven de Key, built the Zuiderkerk (1606-1614), the Westerkerk (1620-1638) and the Exchange (1608-1611) in Amsterdam, Town Hall of Delft (1619), several canal houses in Amsterdam (see also section sculpture)
• Jacob van Campen (1595-1657). He embraced classicism fully and served as an example for many colleagues, built the Mauritshuis in The Hague (1635), the Dam Palace in Amsterdam (1648-1655), which was originally the town hall, now a royal palace,

• Joost van der Vondel (1587-1679), poet and playwright, who wrote more than 30 plays, many of those based on biblical stories. After The Gijsbrecht (see above) his best known drama is Lucifer (1654). He translated many French, Italian, Latin and Greek works. A recurring theme is man's inner conflicts, on the one hand rebellious, on the other hand pledging obedience to God.
• Gerbrand Adriaenszoon Bredero (1585-1618), poet (sonnets) and dramatist (comedies), his most famous comedy, De Spaanse Brabander (English: The Spanish Brabanter), describes the seamy side of life in Amsterdam
• Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft (1581-1647), historian, poet and dramatist, who wrote Nederlandsche Historiën (English: Dutch History), which was never completed, but highly valued. His poetry was of high standard as well. He introduced French and Italian lyricism into Dutch poetry.
• Jacob Cats (1577-1660), poet, famous for his moralistic writings. Houwelijck and Trouringh (English:Marriage and Wedding ring) are two major volumes to educate the Dutch about these serious affairs. Indeed his all too serious tone, lacking humour and esprit, made him a lesser writer than the three named above, and sometimes the object of mockery. His Kinderen zijn hinderen (English: Children are a nuisance) is still a Dutch saying, often followed by the remark that Cats probably had forgotten that he had been a child himself.

Sculpture

• Hendrick de Keyser (1565-1621). De Keyser was also an architect (see above). He created the Mausoleum for William of Orange in the Nieuwe Kerk (English: New Church) in Delft (1614). All ruling descendants of Willem of Orange and their kin have been interred here to this date. De Keyser also created the statue of Erasmus in Rotterdam (1618)
• Artus Quellinus de Oude (1609-1668), Artus Quellinues de Jonge (his nephew) (1625-1700) and Rombout Verhulst (1625-1696), all sculpturists from the southern Low Countries, were most prominent among the sculpturists that decorated the townhall, now known as Dam Palace (1648-1655).

• Jan P. Sweelinck (1562-1621) composer and organ player, major force in the development of 17th century organ music
• Constantijn Huygens (1596-1687) more famous as a poet, member of the famous chamber of rhetoric De Muiderkring, composed some 800 pieces, most of which got lost, promoted use of the organ during church services

Exploration

• Adriaen Block (fl. 1610-1624)
• Abel Janszoon Tasman, (1603 - 1659)

Military