There were uncredibly many. The biggest names were Rembrandt, Vermeer and Jan Steen.
Wikipedia:The most famous Dutch painters of the 17th century were: Ferdinand Bol, Albert Cuyp,Gerard Dou, Willem...
There are several reasons. First of all, the Dutch were located geographically very well. They lacked grain (products) but had a surplus in cheese, tulips and the like. So they began trading with the...