Constructions of Childhood in the Dutch Golden Age and Pedagogical Theory in the Dutch Republic as Reflected in Children's Portraiture: The Dog Motif, the Apple Attribute, and the Meaningfulness of the Dutch Rinkelbel

Abstract

This Master’s research paper aims to provide an analysis of the symbolic role of three unique and multi-faceted objects in children’s portraits and pedagogical theory in seventeenth- century Dutch painting: the dog, the apple, and the rinkelbel. This paper will examine a wide range of the visual material in children’s portraiture which is derived from prints and genre- paintings. Often the imagery and its associations may be traced back to classical and biblical sources which remained prevalent throughout the culture of the seventeenth-century in the Dutch Republic and its Flemish borders. The analysis seeks to provide a thorough discussion of seventeenth-century educational sources, such as manuals and treatises, as well as their relationship to prominent attributes like the dog, the apple, and the rinkelbel in Dutch and Flemish children’s portraits. As well, this paper seeks to provide a discussion concerning the value of the child’s civic education and role in the vitality of the Dutch Republic. The role of childhood educators, including parental figures, older siblings, and wet nurses, and their depiction in children’s portraiture is also examined.