Adriaen van der Werff was born near Rotterdam, and taught there by Cornelis Picolet and Eglon Hendrik van der Neer. He worked in Rotterdam, where he died. From 1697 he was also court painter of the Elector Palatine in Düsseldorf. He was a genre, figure and portrait painter.
Adriaen van der Werff
1659 - 1722
Paintings by Adriaen van der Werff
A boy sits in a dark room, but a glimmer of light through the window reveals his face and the dead mouse he holds in one hand. The other hand covers the mousetrap. This is not a portrait but an imaginary situation, intended as an entertainment and, possibly, a moral lesson.The boy lifts his chin...
Not on display
We don’t know who the sitter in this portrait is, but Adriaen van der Werff has portrayed him as a man of leisure and a lover of antiquities. He is pictured outside in his garden, wearing a luxurious quilted silk robe and white cravat. He gazes out at us, his eyes thoughtful and intelligent thoug...
Not on display
The Virgin Mary supports her son’s head with one hand and his chubby leg with the other, laying him down on her deep blue cloak. Her husband, Joseph, lies asleep behind them. Christ’s raised leg lifted to one side shows his genitals, proving that he is a human child – the son of man and the son o...
Not on display