In the seventeenth century, in the netherlands, the major patrons of paintings were

The wealthy and major patrons of paintings in the Netherlands in the seventeenth century were the wealthy and merchant class. These people had sufficiently adequate income to provide for their fundamental needs. They could be able to spend the surplus income on the furnishing of their homes and practicing art. Their focus on art was mainly on the growing cities and towns because the Netherlands was in a process of industrial growth at the time.