ticketsMember | Make a donation

The Golden Age

Joachim Wtewael Netherlandish
1605
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 640
The Utrecht painter Wtewael was among the most sophisticated of Netherlandish Mannerists, as is evident from this exquisite painting on copper intended for a well-read collector. The subject is taken from the opening pages of the classical author Ovid’s Metamorphoses (8 CE), which describe a time before the ages of silver, bronze, and iron when “spring was everlasting . . . streams of sweet nectar flowed,” and mankind, “without a law,” did right and lived contentedly.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Golden Age
  • Artist: Joachim Wtewael (Netherlandish, Utrecht 1566–1638 Utrecht)
  • Date: 1605
  • Medium: Oil on copper
  • Dimensions: 8 7/8 x 12 in. (22.5 x 30.5 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, The Edward Joseph Gallagher III Memorial Collection, Edward J. Gallagher Jr. Bequest; Lila Acheson Wallace Gift; special funds; and Gift of George Blumenthal, Bequest of Lillian S. Timken, The Collection of Giovanni P. Morosini, presented by his daughter Giulia, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Spear Jr., Gift of Mrs. William M. Haupt, from the collection of Mrs. James B. Haggin, special funds, gifts, and bequests, by exchange, 1993
  • Object Number: 1993.333
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Christ with the Cross, Joachim Wtewael Netherlandish, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash
Christ with the Cross
Joachim Wtewael
ca. 1605–15 (?)
The Judge Bias Shedding Tears, plate IX from "Thronus Justitiæ", Joachim Wtewael Netherlandish, Engraving
The Judge Bias Shedding Tears, plate IX from "Thronus Justitiæ"
Multiple artists/makers
1605
Adam in the Garden of Eden, Naming the Animals, Joachim Wtewael Netherlandish, Pen and black ink, brush and gray wash, heightened with white
Adam in the Garden of Eden, Naming the Animals
Joachim Wtewael
Abraham Bloemaert
ca. 1605–10
Herman Doomer (ca. 1595–1650), Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) Dutch, Oil on wood
Herman Doomer (ca. 1595–1650)
Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)
1640
Still Life with a Skull and a Writing Quill, Pieter Claesz Dutch, Oil on wood
Still Life with a Skull and a Writing Quill
Pieter Claesz
1628

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Showing 4 of 5

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.