Gerrit Dou was one of the most famous of all Dutch painters until the beginning of the 19th century. He trained with Rembrandt, whose influence shows in his early works. His fame depended on his minutely painted scenes of everyday life, often represented in arched stone openings, like 'A Poulterer's Shop'; these are sometimes called 'niche' paintings.
Born in Leiden, the son of a glass engraver, Dou became a pupil of Rembrandt in 1628, probably remaining with him until Rembrandt's departure for Amsterdam in 1631/2. His earlier works are in the manner of the early Rembrandt, who also influenced his portraits. Dou was the founder of the so-called Fijnschilders group 'fine, or small-scale, meticulous painters' in Leiden. This group included Gottfried Schalcken and Frans van Mieris and his sons.
Dou was subsequently one of the founders and first members of the Leiden painters' guild (1648). He worked in Leiden until his death, declining an invitation from Charles II to visit England.
Gerrit Dou
1613 - 1675
Paintings by Gerrit Dou
This is one of the best examples of Gerrit Dou’s brilliance at depicting different surfaces and textures, like the fraying cloth crumpled underneath a bucket, the smooth stone of the sill, the feathers in the duck’s wing and the pocked skin of its breast and neck.Dou was one of the most successfu...
Not on display
In this tiny portrait, an affable young man turns towards us, settling his elbow over the back of his chair. His pipe is paused and he meets our gaze with an easy, relaxed look. Perhaps he has just taken a puff; the tobacco is glowing and smoke twists upwards from the bowl. Other minute details –...
Not on display
This painting has in the past been described as a portrait of the painter’s wife, but we now know Gerrit Dou never married. Perhaps it was something about the intimacy and sensitivity of this tiny image which led people to assume that there was a relationship between the artist and the sitter.Tho...
Not on display