The art of the Dutch ‘Golden’ Age has many non-Western elements, from the Islamic scarf of Vermeer’s Girl with Pearl Earring to Rembrandt’s Chinese porcelain. The project ‘The Dutch Global Age’ (NWO-Vici) examines how Netherlandish art has contributed to a global worldview and demonstrates the contemporary relevance of Netherlandish Old Masters in a globalizing world.

We are seeking three candidates for PhD positions in this project. The team will explore interactions between the arts of the Netherlands and the world beyond Europe. It will combine different approaches: technical art history (how were non-European materials used and imitated by Netherlandish artisans?), iconography (how did Netherlandish artists represent the world symbolically?), and economic art history (what were the routes, volumes, and prices of artefacts that circulated globally)? Each PhD project will single out specific museum objects as case studies. The team will also contribute to an exhibition that connects the historical questions to topical societal debates.

We expect candidates to have:

- Completed or be close to completing a Master’s degree in art history or a related field
- A solid training in object-focused art historical research
- Eagerness to work in a research team
- Eagerness to publish international articles and write a dissertation
- Good social and communication skills
- Excellent command of English and academic writing skills
- Reading knowledge of Dutch (or willingness to acquire this)

For more information about this position and a full description of the research project ‘The Dutch Global Age’, please contact: Thijs Weststeijn via m.a.weststeijnuu.nl