The majority of Dutch paintings were made for the private homes of middle-class clients and reflect their interests in nature, family life, society, and other aspects of their immediate surroundings, as seen in genre pictures by Gerard ter Borch, Jan Steen, Pieter de Hooch, and many other artists. Religious subjects in the officially Protestant Dutch Republic—such as Abraham Bloemaert's stylish Moses Striking the Rock and Bartholomeus Breenbergh's Preaching of John the Baptist—also hung mainly in private, not public, spaces. An important exception is the Museum's Crucifixion with the Virgin and Saint John, which was painted about 1625 by Hendrick ter Brugghen for one of the "hidden" Catholic chapels in Utrecht.
Note: This gallery is temporarily closed to the public due to a construction project. Visitors to the Museum may inquire at the Information Desk in the Great Hall for more information.
