The Lange Voorhout in the Golden Age by Robert Jan Smit

Imagine strolling through The Hague in the mid-seventeenth century. No cars, trams or modern buildings, but carriages travelling slowly along the Lange Voorhout, pedestrians in seventeenth-century clothing and stately houses forming the backdrop to a lively street in The Hague. In this scene, the famous Lange Voorhout has been restored to the atmosphere of the Golden Age. The wide, tree-lined avenue has been one of The Hague’s most characteristic spots for centuries. In the distance, the city’s skyline rises, whilst daily life unfolds on the street. Coachmen, merchants, pedestrians and genteel residents share the avenue.
The image has been deliberately designed to resemble a 17th-century painting, with dramatic lighting, dark clouds and warm earth tones. The sunlight filtering through the trees lends the scene an almost timeless atmosphere. The combination of historic architecture, figures and the monumental tree-lined perspective makes it seem as though you are peering through a window into The Hague as it was several centuries ago.
It is not an exact historical reconstruction, but an artistic representation of what the Lange Voorhout might have looked like in the seventeenth century. An imaginary journey back to the Hague of regents, artists, carriages and strollers.
A painting for lovers of The Hague, history, the Golden Age and classical painting, but also for anyone who wants to display a piece of The Hague’s history on their wall in a special way.