p. 86-90 Gerard Dov
86 GERARD DOV.
... figures, with his little Madonna (no. 410 in the Louvre) [119],1 and you see a real woman of flesh and blood on a bone frame.
The landscape, by Berchem, features a background of clusters of trees, rather dark in tone, against which the figures are depicted. On the right, the trunk of a large tree is cut off by the top of the frame; on the left, among the foliage, we see a patch of sky and a horizon of mountains. In the foreground, on the same side, a red spaniel watches the figures. There is also a piece of carved stone, with a small bust. This landscape has undoubtedly been blackened and given the tone of a Poussin. It appears to be night in this landscape, but the figures are struck by light, and this contrast serves to make them stand out.
Berchem's signature is on the lower left; Gerard Dov's on the small sculpted bust.
The panel is 2 feet 8 inches high and 2 feet wide. – Auction of the Countess of Moens, 3,200 guilders.
Gerard Dov seems to have used this little-known style for a time. However, fine examples can be found in Holland, notably in two portraits in Steingracht's collection in The Hague [120][121].2 I cannot determine the exact period of this style in the master's career, but it must have been between 1650 and 1660, judging by the costumes.3 Berchem's (born 1624) collaboration on this painting in the Amsterdam museum also points to ...
119
studio of Rembrandt or possibly Ferdinand Bol or possibly Rembrandt and studio of Rembrandt or attributed to Rembrandt
The holy family with Saint Anne, c. 1640
Paris, Musée du Louvre, inv./cat.nr. 1742
120
Gerard Dou
Portrait of an unknown man, c. 1642-1646
Boekarest, Aurora Art Fund
121
Gerard Dou
Portrait of an unknown woman, c. 1642-1646
Boekarest, Aurora Art Fund
87 GERARD DOV.
... approximately this date.4 It was perhaps the sight of the large and magnificent paintings executed in Holland after the Peace of Munster that had temporarily influenced Gerard Dov. What is hardly known is that he made a few life-size figures – for example, a portrait of his mother – when he left Rembrandt's studio (1) [122].
The third Gerard Dov is another light effect: a Young girl, framed in an oval window, holding a lamp [123].5 The usual signature is on the windowsill. A very small painting in the height, engraved by Valck.509 It was in the Van Heteren collection in 1756.
The fourth (2) shows a Hermit at prayer, in a cave [124].6 It brought 1,100 guilders at the Van der Pot auction, Rotterdam, 1808. On panel, 9 inches high, 7 inches wide. The hermit has a rosary in his hand; in front of him is a crucifix.
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(1) This portrait, known as the Mother of G. Dov, was in the collection of W. Wells at the time of Smith.7 – Lebrun, in his Galerie des peintres flamands, mentions another large painting of Dov, made after Rembrandt's studio was abandoned and transferred from the Braamcamp collection to England (Smith, no. 140). It depicts Tobias in the presence of his father and was 3 and a half feet high and nearly 4 and a half feet wide!8
(2) Smith, whose first volume containing a catalog of Gerard Dov's work was published in 1829, mentions a fifth Gerard Dov: Man seated at a table playing the flute. But this painting is no longer in the museum.9
122
Gerard Dou
Portrait of an old lady, reading, 1640s
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-2627
123
Gerard Dou
Girl with an oil lamp in a window, c. 1660
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-89
123
Gerard Dou
Hermit praying, 1645-1675
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-88
88 MUSEUM OF AMSTERDAM.
Gerard Dov was fond of these little wrinkled heads of old loners, to which one of his imitators, Jan Adriaan van Staveren, also devoted himself almost exclusively. See a Van Staveren's imitations: Old Man Praying Under a Vault. A small, rather fine painting, signed in full.10
The most conscientious and patient imitator of Gerard Dov, P. van Slingeland,11 has two paintings in the Amsterdam museum: Interior of a farmhouse; a man plays the violin; a little boy accompanies him with his voice; a woman prepares the dinner. Signed: P: V: Slingeland Fecit. On panel. H. 1 foot 6 inches, W. 2 feet.12 "Nice example of the master," says Smith. – And a sort of portrait of a man in Japanese clothing [125].13 – Both from the Van Heteren cabinet.
Another pupil of Gerard Dov, – Schalcken, – with five paintings: Portrait of William III, King of England, in armor, and illuminated by a torch; life-size bust [126];14 engraved by J. W. Kaiser;15 – Young woman lighting a burning candle in a lantern;16 and as pendant Young man seated, smoking his pipe;17 – Elck zijn meug (Every one his fancy); a boy eats soup; another eats an egg; painting signed: G. Schalcken. pinxit [127];18 and as counterpart an interior with three men; two are in conversation, the third lights his pipe [128].19
A single painting by Van Tol: No. 280 Three ...
125
Pieter van Slingelandt
Portrait of a man with a watch, 1688 (dated)
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-377
126
Godefridus Schalcken
Portrait of William III of Orange (1650-1702) in candlelight, c. 1695-1696
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-367
127
Godefridus Schalcken
'Every one his fancy', 1692-1696
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-368
128
Godefridus Schalcken
'Differing tastes', 1693-1696
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-369
89 GERARD DOV.
... Happy Children [129].20 A little boy, leaning on the windowsill of an arched window, holds a cat and shows him a mousetrap. Two other children look on smiling. Signed: D. v. Tol. Auction Mrs. Heemskerk, 1770, The Hague, 420 guilders.
But Gerard Dov's best pupil was undoubtedly Frans van Mieris the elder,21 who in turn, not counting his sons and grandsons, produced a large number of imitators. Not lacking in any originality, he occupies an intermediate position between his master and Gabriel Metsu; and in some of his remarkable and rare paintings he happens to equal more or less one or the other.
The museum in The Hague and private collections display several of his small masterpieces. In the Amsterdam museum, the catalog lists two Mierissen: a Woman plucking a guitar (no. 182) [130],22 a candlelight effect, à la Gerard Dov; a small 6-inch panel, absolutely insignificant and even questionable (1); and a Woman writing a letter (no. 181) [131].23 She is seated, in a yellow satin gown, at a table covered with a scarlet velvet carpet and on which is a musical instrument. A servant beside her awaits her orders. On a chair covered with green velvet, a little dog is sleeping. This ...
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(1) According to the new cat., however, it comes from famous cabinets: Van Zwieten, 1731, De Fraula, 1738, Lormier, 1763, and Van Heteren.
129
Domenicus van Tol
Children with a mousetrap in a stone arched niche, c. 1650-1660
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-417
130
Frans van Mieris (I)
Woman tuning a theorbo, 1665 (dated)
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-262
131
Frans van Mieris (I)
Woman writing a letter, dated 1680
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-261
132
Willem van Mieris
The poultry seller, dated 1733
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-264
90 MUSEUM OF AMSTERDAM.
... painting, mentioned by Descamps, is 10 inches high and 8 inches wide; panel. It brought 2,100 francs in 1765 at the Cauwerven auction; 3,610 guilders in 1771 at the Braamcamp auction; 8,100 francs in 1777 at the Randon de Boisset auction; 7,000 francs in 1787 at the Beaujon auction; 2,025 guilders in 1808 at the Van der Pot auction.
By Willem van Mieris,24 son of Frans the Elder: a Poultry Dealer [132];25 by Frans the Younger, son of Willem: a Hermit in Prayer, attributed by Immerzeel to Willem himself [133].26
A rather curious painting from the school of Gerard Dov is catalogued as depicting "Grotius, about twelve years old, in his study (no. 89)," and attributed to the Fleming Joost van Craesbeek, who was born in 1608 [134];27 but Grotius was born in 1583! There is no thought in the catalog of relating these dates. So this small portrait, carefully finished, does not represent Grotius, nor is it by Craesbeek, Brouwer's pupil and friend; it is Van Gaesbeeck, whose name, forgotten today, was very famous. The signature: "A. VAN GAESBEECK. fecit" is written in full at the bottom of the panel (1).
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(1) I showed this signature to Mr. Engelberts. The new cat. thus attributed this painting to Van Gaesbeeck and included the signature; but he does not seem to know this Van Gaesbeeck, nor the period in which he painted, for the figure is always referred to as Hugo de Groot (Grotius) "at the age of 12." Gaesbeeck was born well after Grotius, for he trained with ...
133
Frans van Mieris (II)
The Hermit, dated 1721
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-265
134
Adriaen van Gaesbeeck
Young man in a study, c. 1640-1650
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-113
Notes
1 Rembrandt and workshop, The Holy Family with Saint Anne, c. 1640, Paris, Musée du Louvre, inv. no. 1742; Villot 1852, p. 215-216, no. 410.
2 Gerard Dou, Portrait of an Unknown Man & Portrait of an Unknown Woman, c. 1642-1646, Bucharest, Aurora Art Fund; Smith 1829-1842, vol. 1 (1829), p. 43, no. 132, vol. 9 (1842), p. 23, no. 74-75.
3 The costumes can be dated to c. 1635 (RKD, Iconographic Bureau).
4 Today, it is assumed that Dou painted the portraits in an interior and that Berchem later painted the landscape over the interior (website Rijksmuseum, accessed 13 November 2025).
5 Gerard Dou, Girl with an Oil Lamp at a Window, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-89; Smith 1829-1842, vol. 1 (1829), p. 7, no. 14; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 9, no. 67, Dou (Gerard; 1613-1674), Een Meisje in eene nis, bij lamplicht (A Girl in a niche, by lamplight) (tax.: fl. 1,500); Amsterdam 1858, p. 29, no. 65.
6 The print by Valck was not made after the painting in the Rijksmuseum, as Smith and Thoré-Bürger state, but after a painting in Vienna: Gerard Dou, Young woman with a Candle in a Window, c. 1655-1660, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, inv. no. 583. For the print, see: Hollstein et al. 1949-2010, vol. 31 (1987), p. 240, no. 43.
7 Gerard Dou, A Hermit in Prayer, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-88; Smith 1829-1842, vol. 1 (1829), p. 27-28, no. 81; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 9, no. 66, Dou (Gerard; 1613-1674), Een biddende Monnik (A Praying Monk) (tax.: fl. 1,500); Amsterdam 1858, p. 36, no. 66.
8 Smith 1829-1842, vol. 1 (1829), p. 45, no. 138. A painting by Dou, depicting the same subject and of approximately the same size, entered the Rijksmuseum collection in 1912: Old Woman Reading, c. 1631-1632, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-2627. It is unsure whether this is the same painting that was described by Smith.
9 Thoré-Bürger has added in the margins: ‘is this not the Dou of Stolberg’s?’ (‘n'est- ce point le Dov de Stolberg?’). He refers to: sale Andreas Graf zu Stolberg-Stolberg, Hannover (Charles Rumpler), 31 October-November 1859, Lugt 25060, no. 77. In the lower margin of the RKD’s copy of this catalogue, Thoré-Bürger has written: ‘See Musées de la Hollande I, p. 89 and Smith 140’. The latter refers to Smith 1829-1842, vol. 1 (1829), p. 45, no. 140. The painting is probably identical to: attributed to Pieter Hermansz. Verelst, The Return of Tobias and the Angel, Washington (D.C.), private collection.
10 Smith 1829-1842, vol. 1 (1829), p. 42, no. 127, vol. 9 (1842), p. 22, no. 73. This painting was sold in 1828, see Filedt Kok 2009, p. 299. According to Baer 1990, no. 25.1-25.4, it is identical to: Gerard Dou, Young Man Playing the flute in a Study, c. 1636, in sale London (Christie’s), 2 December 2025, lot 6.
11 Jan Adriaensz. van Staveren, A Hermit Praying in a Ruin, c. 1650-1668, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-381; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 26, no. 263, Staveren (Johan Adriaan van), Een biddende Grijsaard in een gewelf (A Praying Greybeard in a Vault (tax.: fl. 500); Amsterdam 1858, p. 131, no. 294.
12 See also Thoré-Bürger's notes opp. p. 96 (1/2).
13 Pieter Jacobsz. Duyfhuysen, Peasant Family Singing, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-376; Smith 1829-1842, vol. 1 (1829), p. 54, no. 20, p. 58, no. 32, as by Pieter van Slingelandt; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 26, no. 259, Slingeland (Pieter van; 1640-1691), Een Boeren-Binnenhuis, met een man op de viool spelende (A Farmer's Interior, with a Man Playing the Violin) (tax.: fl. 2,500); Amsterdam 1858, p. 130, no. 291, as by Pieter van Slingelandt.
14 Pieter van Slingelandt, Portrait of a Man with a Watch, 1688, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-377; Smith 1829-1842, vol. 1 (1829), p. 58, no. 34; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 26, no. 260, Slingeland (Pieter van 1640-1691), Een deftig Man in een' Japanschen rok (A dignified Man in a Japanese coat (tax.: fl. 600); Amsterdam 1858, p. 130, no. 290.
15 Godefridus Schalcken, Portrait of William III, c. 1692-1697, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-367; Smith 1829-1842, vol. 4 (1833), p. 270, no. 3 (b); Aanwijzing 1853, p. 25, no. 250, Schalken (Godfried; 1643-1706), Portret van Koning Willem de Derde, bij kaarslicht (Portrait of King William the Third, by candlelight) (tax.: fl. 2,000); Amsterdam 1858, p. 127, no. 282; Amsterdam 1859, p. 131, no. 282; see also Thoré-Bürger's note opp. p. 96 (1/2).
16 The only print by Johann Wilhelm Kaiser after Schalcken is probably based on a different one, without the candlePortrait of Stadtholder-King William III, 1857, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. RP-P-OB-104.531.
17 Arnold Boonen, Fire and Light, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-370 (as attributed to Godefridus Schalcken); Smith 1829-1842, vol. 4 (1833), p. 284, no. 84, as by Godefridus Schalcken; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 25, no. 251, Schalken (Godfried; 1643-1706), Eene Vrouw bezig zijnde met eene kaars in eene lantaarn te plaatsen (A woman busy placing a candle in a lantern) (tax.: fl 1,500); Amsterdam 1858, p. 128, no. 284, as by Godefridus Schalcken.
18 Arnold Boonen, The Smoker, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-371 (as attributed to Godefridus Schalcken); Smith 1829-1842, vol. 4 (1833), p. 284, no. 85, as by Godefridus Schalcken; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 25, no. 252, Schalken (Godfried; 1643-1706), Een Jongman tabak rookende (A Young Man smoking tobacco) (tax.: fl. 1,500); Amsterdam 1858, p. 127, no. 283, as by Godefridus Schalcken.
19 Godefridus Schalcken, Every one his fancy, c.1692-1696, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-368; Smith 1829-1842, vol. 4 (1833), p. 284, no. 86; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 25, no. 253, Schalken (Godfried; 1643-1706), Twee Jongens, waarvan de eene een ei, de andere pap eet (Two boys, one of whom eats an egg, the other porridge) (tax.: fl. 1,000); Amsterdam 1858, p. 128, no. 286.
20 Godefridus Schalcken, Differing tastes, c. 1693-1696, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-369; Smith 1829-1842, vol. 4 (1833), p. 285, no. 87; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 25, no. 254, Schalken (Godfried; 1643-1706), De Wedergade van de vorige, een Jongman eene tabakspijp aanstekende (The counterpart of the previous one, a young man lighting a tobacco pipe) (tax.: fl. 1,000); Amsterdam 1858, p. 128, no. 285.
21 Domenicus van Tol, Children with a mousetrap, c. 1660-1676, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-417; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 27, no. 280, Tol (Dominicus van), Drie vrolijke Kinderen (Three Merry Children) (tax.: fl. 1,000); Amsterdam 1858, p. 141-142, no. 311'.
22 See also Thoré-Bürger's notes opp. p. 96 (2/2).
23 Frans van Mieris (I), Woman Tuning a Theorbo, 1665, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-262; Smith 1829-1842, vol. 9 (1842), p. 39, no. 14; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 18, no. 182, Mieris (Frans van; 1635-1681), Eene Vrouw, de guitar bespelende (A Woman, playing the guitar) (tax.: fl. 1,200); Amsterdam 1858, p. 91, no. 200.
24 Frans van Mieris (I), The Letter Writer, 1680, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-261; Smith 1829-1842, vol. 1 (1829), p. 70, no. 31; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 18, no. 181, Mieris (Frans van; 1635-1681), Eene Vrouw, een' brief schrijvende (A Woman, writing a letter) (tax.: fl. 1,000); Amsterdam 1858, p. 91, no. 201. See also Thoré-Bürger's note opp. p. 96 (2/2).
25 See also Thoré-Bürger's note opp. p. 96 (2/2).
26 [1] Willem van Mieris, The Poultry Seller, 1733, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-264; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 18, no. 183, Mieris (Willem van; 1662-1747), Een Hoenderverkooper (A Poultry Seller) (tax.: fl. 800); Amsterdam 1858, p. 91-92, no. 202. See also Thoré-Bürger's note opp. p. 96 (2/2).
27 [1] Frans van Mieris (II), The Hermit, 1721, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-265; Immerzeel 1842-1843, vol. 2 (1843), p. 228, as by Willem van Mieris; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 19, no. 184, Mieris the Younger (Frans van; 1689-1763), Een biddende Heremiet (A Praying Hermit) (tax.: fl. 600); Amsterdam 1858, p. 92, no. 203. See also Thoré-Bürger's note opp. p. 96 (2/2).
28 Adriaen van Gaesbeeck, Young Man in a Study, c. 1640-1650, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-113; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 11, no. 89, Graasbeek (Joost van; 1608-1668), Portret van Hugo de Groot, ongeveer twaalf jaren oud, in een studeervertrek (Portrait of Hugo de Groot, about twelve years old, in a study) (tax.: fl. 1,500); Amsterdam 1858, p. 44, no. 89, as Portrait of Hugo de Groot at age 12. See also the annotations by Thoré-Bürger opp. p. 96 (1/2).