Dutch Golden Age painting
There was a theory in painting, that some types of painting were  more prestigious than others. This theory is known as hierarchy of genres. Because history painting was at the top of the list, many painters wanted to produce historical paintings. The problem with this was that historical paintings were the most difficult to sell. To be able to live from their painting, many painters were forced to produce portraits or genre scenes, which sold much more easily. The hierarchy was as follows: