1300-1700
Dominant Movements: Renaissance, Dutch Golden Age, Baroque
Ambient Piece: Wahenta Meixsell - Allemande
Renaissance (1300-1600): Most often used to refer to the era in Europe in which a new style in painting, sculpture and architecture emerged after the Gothic, completing the transition from the Middle Ages to the modern age. This period culminated in the High Renaissance, a brief phenomenon confined essentially to Italy in about the first two decades of the 16th century. Following this came that phase of the late Renaissance called 'Mannerism'.
Dutch Golden Age (1575-1675): A period in the history of the Netherlands in which Dutch trade, science, military, and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. The first section is characterized by the Eighty Years' War, which ended in 1648. The Golden Age continued in peacetime during the Dutch Republic until the end of the century.
Baroque (1600-1725): The principal European style in the visual arts in the 17th century and the first half of the 18th. Usage of the term is often extended to the whole period 1600–1750 without qualifying restrictions, or improperly to mean a florid and elaborate style in art, architecture, music or literature, of any date from late antiquity to the early 20th century.