Vermeer's Hat: The Seventeenth Century and the Dawn of the Global World

Every once in a while, a book comes along that really surprises me with its excellence - Vermeer's Hat is one of those books. What this book is is a look into the seventeenth century, but as a hook, the book uses eight seventeenth century works of art, that each tells us something about the era in which it was created. And, what makes the book so very interesting is that it covers events and phenomenon that are rarely discussed in other books, such the movement of goods between Europe, Spanish America and China, the spread of tobacco, and so much more. Overall, I found this book to be very entertaining and very interesting - it kept me up reading when I should have been asleep! If you are interested in the seventeenth century, then you will find this to be a very good resource. Heck, even if you are just interested in history, you will find this to be an excellent read, one that will well reward the time you spent reading it. I give this book my highest recommendations!

Timothy Brook examines some of Vermeer's most well known paintings and discovers the complicated world of the seventeenth century can be reached and revived through them. I have admired Vermeer's paintings for many years, but I never realized how much they reflect the world at the time. Even the simplest objects which to the untrained eye look just randomly placed to frame the main subject of a painting turn out to have a deep meaning. A beaver hat and a porcelain bowl remind us of the world wide trade network, the confident smile on a pretty girl's face demonstrates the rise in European women's status, a map on a wall indicates new political and military power, and so on. This is an excellent work of history, and a reminder of why historians should take even the unlikeliest of objects into account.

A fascinating, erudite but easy-to-read series of chapters on trade, exploration, cross-cultural influence and physical culture, using 17th century Delft as the starting point. but reaching around the globe to Asia and the Americas. I'm a huge Vermeer fan and I visited Delft last April, so the book had an added resonance to me. Although you don't need to be an art lover to appreciate the book, a familiarity with Vermeer makes the argument event more interesting. I visited the Frick Collection yesterday and saw the image on the cover for the 20th time and noticed things I'd never realized before. The book brings to mind Jonathan Spence's "The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci" and the Simon Schama's "The Embarassment of Riches," (both authors blurbed this book) although it's probably an easier read than either. If you like books like those and "Longitude," you'll love this. Not so much an art history book -- and not a replacement for the other books on Vermeer as an artist -- but a cultural historian's look at an important era in the opening up of the world.

Vermeer's Hat by Timothy Brook is a rich examination of the growth of commerce in the seventeeth century using, of all things, the art of Johannes Vermeer. Wonderful. Before finding Vermeer's Hat I had never heard of the artist. So much for my general education in college. However, during the time I read Vermeer's Hat I managed to find a number of websites devoted to this not minor artist. The best is at www.ballandclaw.com/vermeer/chron.html. At this website you will find a chronological listing of his works along with terrific images. Vermeer's Hat, the cover image on the book is there and is cross listed with another image in which the same map appears. Brook uses the art of Johannes Vermeer to demonstrate the growth in commerce during the 1600's by focusing on items that appear in the images. This reminds me a great deal of the PBS program Connections that was popular during the 70's and 80's. Also, the information in Vermeer's Hat reminds me of works by Fernand Braudel in his Civilization trilogy. While each and every chapter has a great deal to convey, I found Chapter 5, "School for Smoking" to be of particular interest. Brook's examination of first the discovery by Europeans of tobacco and then the world wide spread of the plant and the resultant almost universal acceptance of smoking is truly eye opening. Children smoking in China or at least carrying pipes to look older is surprising. While some monarchs fruitlessly tried to ban smoking the populace continued on, even on the threat of beheading. Manchu soldiers selling their weapons to buy tobacca is a piece of trivia I'll carry for years to come. This chapter puts some of todays issues about smoking and substance abuse in perspective. Well researched and wonderfully written, Vermeer's Hat will open many windows for the interested reader. I have enjoyed my introduction to Vermeer and am thankful for Timothy Brook for the favor. I highly recommend Vermeer's Hat.

this book presents what was not conveyed in art history courses. through discussion of several paintings and the details of various items, often artifacts on the walls, furnishings, carpetting and other nuances, Mr Timothy Brook engages the reader in a novel examination of exploration, expansionism, commerce of the 17th century. These paintings of Vermeer, in addition to depicting his contemporary Dutch environs and people, reveal the expanding global trade and exchange of cultures and the burgeoning universe/experience of the European populations. The books color plates are adequate reproductions but they are not of the quality of a good art history book. The next time one views a book of Vermeer's works or visits an art museum to feast one's eyes upon his paintings, have this book nearby. Doing so will enhance one's appreciation of Vermeer and will deepen one's apprehension of history.