Portrait Gallery of the 17th Century at Hermitage Museum Amsterdam

Visit: Hermitage Amsterdam, Amstel 51, 1018 EJ Amsterdam The Netherlands

Thirty colossal, 17th century group portraits from the Amsterdam Museum and the Rijksmuseum collections have been brought together for the first time ever in the Hermitage Amsterdam.These 'brothers and sisters' of the Night Watch are unique all over the world and are rarely exhibited due to their size.

They show us regents, civic guards and merchants of all ranks, social classes and religions, standing together as brothers. Rembrandt's 'The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Deijman' and portraits of Civic Guards including Govert Flinck and Nicolaes Pickenoy are but a few examples of the works of art that will be available to view in the Portrait Gallery of the Golden Age. Furthermore, a number of group portraits of Dutch administrative culture by the contemporary Dutch photographer Taco Anema provides a link to the present day.

Together they illustrate the story of collective citizenship that is typical of the Netherlands. It's as if they are holding up a mirror to contemporary Dutch society. Because the relationships between the people of the time formed the basis of the standards and conventions of today.