13 parts, and buy the cheapest out of Ireland or the North of England, for their own use. In fine, they furnish infinite luxury, which they never practise; and traffick in pleasures they never taste.’ In retrospect, it seems fair to say that there’s more than a touch of confirmation bias in Sir William’s depiction of the Amsterdammers as sackcloth-wearing, penny-pinching bling pimps who traded saffron all day then went home to nibble gratefully on a turnip stamppot. In the popular imagination, at least, Dutch attitudes to luxury have long been elided with Calvinism, a doctrine that swept the Netherlands during the Protestant Reformation and which prizes sobriety, reserve and thrift. Wealth, we are told, was considered inherently corrupting in the Dutch Republic. Obviously, the unprecedented influx of merchant money in Amsterdam would have presented a moral hazard to a populace reared exclusively on the virtues of piety and parsimony. But, as historian Jan de Vries argues persuasively in his essay Luxury and Capitalism, Luxury and Calvinism, it’s likely that the role of Calvinism in Golden Age Holland has been misunderstood. According to De Vries, John Calvin himself shared with the Christian Humanists of his age an relativistic view on the subject of wealth, writing: ‘Let all men live in their respective stations, whether slenderly, or
moderately, or plentifully, so that all may remember that God confers his blessings on them for the support of life, not for luxury’. In essence, a bit of extravagance is fine, as long as you keep your priorities in perspective. WEALTH WITH A HIGHER PURPOSE It’s interesting to consider this when enjoying the famous still-life paintings in the Rijksmuseum. The 1664 Pronkstilleven (literally, ‘ostentatious still life’) by Adriaen van Utrecht, with its rich array of fruits, meats and tablewares, would have reminded viewers of the fabulous prosperity of their republic – a land where even common workers and fishermen could enjoy fresh meat, vegetables, fruit, eggs and cheese. But there are other paintings – for example Vanitas Still Life by Jacques de Claeuw – in which flowers wither, insects devour the fruit, and lavishly set tables are in disarray. They reinforce the transience of material goods and the superior weight of moral considerations. One of those considerations was the elevation of society as a whole, and as the Dutch East India Company (VOC) enriched the merchants, a great many artists in turn benefited from the patronage of those who – in keeping with Calvinism – believed that wealth should be used to support meaningful cultural endeavours. As homes filled with Delft pot-
SIPPING PRETTY If you’re going to raise a glass to the finer things in life, you could do a lot worse than pay a visit to one of Amsterdam’s new slew of watering holes that cater to the city’s nascent cocktail culture. There’s no secret password, but cocktail bar Hiding in Plain Sight still manages to provide lashings of speakeasy cool in a quiet street just shy of the bustle of the city centre. The menu here is a boozer’s bible of carefully crafted cocktails with a hint of Tiki, pre-prohibition classics and original libations such as the Walking Dead, which is served (but of course!) in a terrifying crystal skull. The owners have done a solid job of evoking a sultry vibe with glimpses of lush wallpaper, cosy Chesterfields, and the staff are kitted out in elegant waistcoats. Meanwhile, the Amstel Hotel’s A Bar is a polished study in considered chic, while the Bluespoon Bar at the Andaz Amsterdam takes Dutch designer Marcel Wanders’ trademark kitsch sensibility and cranks up the swish factor. Proost! HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT Rapenburg 18 www.hpsamsterdam.com A BAR Amstel Hotel, Professor Tulpplein www.a-bar.nl BLUESPOON BAR Andaz Amsterdam, Prinsengracht 587 www.amsterdamprinsengracht.andaz.hyatt.com
JET SET, GO! The Amsterdam high life took on a decadent new dimension five years ago with the grand opening of a private jet terminal at the city’s famous airport. General Aviation (GA for those in the know) is Schiphol-Oost’s handy launch pad for private and business flights using aircraft for no more than 19 passengers. The terminal itself features white, grey and black tiles in a traditional Dutch windmill design, not to mention the opportunity to lord it up inside the Summum Private Jet Lounge, which serves food and drinks by the culinary craftspersons behind De Bokkedoorns, a fine-dining stalwart in provincial Overveen that boasts two Michelin stars. As you’d expect, utmost discretion comes as standard, and a team of bodyguards can be arranged at the drop of an email. Thermiekstraat 20 www.summumlounge.nl
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