20 years ago, Benjamin Moser followed a love affair to an ancient Dutch town. In order to make sense of the place where he had ended up, Moser threw himself into the world of the painters of the Dutch Golden Age, Rembrandt, Hals, and Vermeer among them, and found himself confronting the bigger questions those artists asked. Why do we make art, and why do we need it? Who, and what, is an artist? How can art help us see ourselves and others? And in a world without religion, can art provide a substitute for God? Now, in this colourful, brilliant and idiosyncratic book, he unveils the whole hidden world of the Dutch Masters (and one Mistress). This is a fun and learned guide to one of the greatest epochs of human creativity: a book for anyone, whether lifelong scholar or curious tourist, who has ever felt the lure of the Dutch galleries.