Gerard Hoet and The Banquet of Cleopatra

Gerard Hoet, born on 22 Augustus 1648 and died on 2 December 1733

Pieter de Hooch and A Farm Servant In The Backyard

Pieter de Hooch, born on 20 November 1629

Due to the NaNoWriMo Project, I will continue to post a painting a day for the month of November but I won't have time to write. I may add text at a later date. I hope you will still visit to see the daily painting. 

Johannes Vermeer and Girl With A Pearl Earring

'Girl With A Pearl Earring' (c. 1665) by Johannes Vermeer; Mauritshuis, The Hague

I guess on the list of most famous Dutch painters, next to Rembrandt and Van Gogh, ranks Johannes Vermeer, baptised on 31 October 1632 (no record of his actual date of birth). His Girl With a Pearl Earring is his masterpiece and world famous, sometimes referred to as 'The Dutch Mona Lisa'. To see it in closer detail, click here and once again to enlarge it. It is indeed beautiful, but not my favourite painting by Vermeer and also not my favourite painting of the collection of the wonderful Mauritshuis in The Hague. I have visited the museum numerous times now and can recall the first time I saw the Girl with the Pearl Earring. I thought it was beautiful but I was also a bit disappointed. It is such a famous painting that when I looked at it for the first time in real life, it didn't hold any surprises. It was just the way I had seen it in art books and reproductions. This might sound terrible to art connoisseurs but that's how I experienced it. The blue wasn't more startling (Vermeer preferred to use cool tones of blue), nor the intimate look in the girl's eyes. For instance, I find a Rembrandt painting always a bit of a surprise seeing it in real life, because his dramatic use of light can never be matched in a reproduction. Anyway, I hope I didn't offend any fervent fans of this particular painting. About the man himself, I only want to mention the following and the rest you can read by clicking on his name above. Vermeer was known for his paintings of domestic interior scenes of middle class life and only produced forty or so paintings. He stayed relatively unknown during his brief lifetime and it wasn't until the 19th century that he got recognition and appreciation for his work. Of course I could have chosen another painting by Vermeer, like Diana and Her Companions (also to be seen at the Mauritshuis) or the The Milk Maid or the beautiful The Lacemaker, all of which I like better than the Girl with the Pearl Earring. But I guess I want to post this masterpiece to appreciate its beauty more. Click here for a list of Vermeer's paintings.

Jan Lievens and Study Of An Old Man

'Study Of An Old Man' (c. 1629) by Jan Lievens; Private Collection

 

There were two Dutch painters to choose from today. Jan Lievens, who was born on 24 October 1607, and Gabriël Metsu, buried on the 24th of October, 1667. They were even contemporaries. I just read their biographies online and found out that they were both born in Leiden. Lievens died in Amsterdam and Metsu was buried there (there's no information on the date or location of his death). As much as I like Metsu and in particular this painting of a Man Writing a Letter, I choose Jan Lievens for this post. If you follow this blog, you get a sense of what paintings I like and lots of times those are of beautiful women. But I also love paintings of old men, in the way that Ribera and Rembrandt have painted them. Of course Rembrandt was the master in painting old men (I love this painting) but today's painter Lievens comes very close. You will notice similarities between Lievens and Rembrandt and this is not surprising since Lievens was a student of Pieter Lastman who was Rembrandt's teacher. Lastman paid a lot of attention to painting features like hands, feet and faces, and these are also very apparent in the paintings of Lievens and Rembrandt. Lievens shared a studio with Rembrandt from about 1626 till 1631 in Leiden and they became friends. I have visited the exhibition on Jan Lievens at the Museum Het Rembrandthuis in Amsterdam in 2009, and it was actually the first time that I got introduced to his work. Today's painting of a study of an old man, he probably painted in 1629, when he and Rembrandt were making studies on old age. I think it is beautiful. It was put up for auction at Sotheby's in London in 2010, together with a painting by Frans Hals. The estimated price for both paintings was between 2,25 and 3,37 million euros.

Aelbert Cuyp and View of Dordrecht

'View of Dordrecht' (c. 1650) by Aelbert Cuyp; The Anthony de Rothschild Collection,
 Ascott House, Buckinghamshire

Today there was not much to choose from but I am happy to do a post on Dutch painter Aelbert Cuyp, born on 20 October 1620, even though I am not a huge fan of his work. I do like his use of light a lot though. Cuyp was born in Dordrecht, a small provincial town in The Netherlands, and was one of the most important landscape painters of the 17th century, the Dutch Golden Age. He lived and worked in his native town and in his early landscape paintings, the influence of Jan van Goyen is evident in its grey-green palette. In the 1640s, his landscape style transformed when he met Utrecht artist Jan Both who had developed a different style after his stay in Italy. Cuyp had never visited Italy himself but from now on he bathed his paintings in golden Italian sunlight. Besides the role that light played in his work, animals were a main feature in his landscape paintings. Most people in The Netherlands know Cuyp, even if they have never heard of the painter. The Albert Cuyp streetmarket in Amsterdam is probably the most well-known and most popular market in the country. I like the light of the setting sun in today's painting and the calm and friendly atmosphere.

Caesar van Everdingen and Winter

'Winter' (c. 1650) by Caesar van Everdingen; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

There was no doubt in my mind to dedicate today's post to Caesar van Everdingen, buried on October 13, 1678 (no exact date of his birth nor death is known). Because his painting known as Winter (full title 'Young Woman as Winter' or 'Young Woman warming her Hands') is one of my favourite paintings of the permanent collection of the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum and I am very happy to show it to you here. But in my post of 6 September on the painter Julius LeBlanc Stewart I had made mention of the wonderful artist John Atkinson Grimshaw whom I had just discovered, and I had hoped to be able to use him for today. But then I found out about Van Everdingen and as much as I like Grimshaw's work (like Spirit of The Night and his nightscenes like this and this and this which are stunning) and would love to dedicate an entire post to him (maybe if I continue this blog, next year), the beauty of Van Everdingen's 'Winter' wins out anytime. Also because I have seen this in real life and it is so beautiful. The painting depicts a young woman warming her hands over a pot with glowing coals. She is the personification of winter. I love all the exquisite details. The maker of this wonderful painting Van Everdingen had worked under Jacob van Campen. Through him he received some important commissions. He painted mainly historical paintings and portraits.  

Jacob Backer and Portrait of Rebecca Schellingwou

'Portrait of Rebecca Schellingwou' (1644) by Jacob Backer; Amsterdam Museum

Today I found my painter quickly. Jacob Backer, born in 1608 and died on 17 August 1651, was a Dutch painter from the Golden Age. I have attached the link to the Dutch Wikipedia page which mentions the 17th of August as the date of his death, whereas the English page says the 27th. I'm going to stick to the Dutch page because I can't be bothered looking for another painter for today because of conflicting dates. I have seen an exhibition on Backer at Museum Het Rembrandthuis in Amsterdam (the exhibition ran from 29 November 2008 till 22 February 2009) and really liked it. Amongst the paintings that were on display were two masterpieces from the collection of the Amsterdam Museum, formerly Amsterdam Historical Museum: the portraits of Bartholomeus Breenbergh and Rebecca Schellingwou who were husband and wife. I especially liked the painting of Rebecca Schellingwou. The colours are beautiful and Backer is a master in painting fabrics. He was mainly active in Amsterdam and had a successful career. He had studied in Leeuwarden and was a fellow student of Govert Flinck. Together they went to Amsterdam where Flinck alone studied under Rembrandt. It was believed, incorrectly, that Backer also had studied with Rembrandt. There is little known of his life. He never married, never painted a landscape, never was the subject of any gossip or scandal. He worked extremely fast and his work can be characterised by a vivid use of colour. He was one of the most famous painters in Amsterdam at the time and he died when he was in his early forties.

Judith Leyster and The Proposition

'The Proposition' (1631) by Judith Leyster; Mauritshuis, The Hague

Judith Leyster, born on 28 July 1609, was one of the few female painters of the Dutch Golden Age, at least still known to us. She painted genre scenes, portraits and still lifes and was influenced by Frans Hals and the Utrecht Caravaggisti. She was very succesful in her day and one of the few female members of the Haarlem Painters' Guild. She also took on students of her own. The story goes that she sued Hals succesfully for a breach of ethics after he stole one of her students. The artwork I chose for today is probably Leyster's most well-known painting. 'The Proposition' is a genre scene from everyday life. Leyster depicted a man offering money to a woman who is doing needlework. The man's seductive smile, the coins in his hand and the intimate candlelight might suggest that the man is offering money for love. This was a popular theme in Dutch painting. But nothing else in this work of art indicates that this might be a brothel scene (no cheerfulness, revealing clothing, hidden sexual symbols, etc.). The woman doesn't seem to be interested in what the man has to offer. Even more, she ignores him and doesn't look up from her needlework. It could have been just a domestic scene if it weren't for the coins in the man's hand. Leyster might have wanted to show the woman's virtue and strong character with this ambiguous work. I think this is a great painting from a great feminist painter who lived in a time when women were suppressed and uneducated.

Rembrandt van Rijn and Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem

Due to my stay and volunteer work in Peru for most of June and July, I won't have time to write but I will continue to post a painting a day. I may add text upon returning to Amsterdam. I hope you will still visit to see the daily painting. 

Gerard van Honthorst and The Matchmaker

'The Matchmaker' (1625) by Gerard van Honthorst; Centraal Museum, Utrecht

When I think of Dutch painter Gerard van Honthorst, born on 4 November 1592 and died on 27 April 1656, his painting 'The Matchmaker' immediately comes to mind. I've seen this in real life at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht where it is on permanent display and I think it is beautiful. It is evident that Van Honthorst was greatly influenced by the art of Caravaggio. He had gone to Italy in 1616 and upon returning to The Netherlands around 1620, he set up a school of Dutch artists who used the chiaroscuro style of Caravaggio. The group became known as the Dutch Caravaggisti, mainly active in the city of Utrecht. In this painting, the lute is symbol for the woman's sexual organ and unchastity. The man holds a purse with money in his left hand and is willing to pay. The girl offers to play the lute, or is she offering something else? Many Dutch paintings in the 17th century depict the lute which refers to prostitution. Despite the sexual connotation in this painting, I have always found it an uplifting scene. The girl looks so cheerful and the dramatic use of artificial light is simply beautiful.

Edit on 11.09.2025: I mistakenly used the word 'flute' instead of 'lute' and someone in the comments drew my attention to this. Thank you! I only now saw the comment and fixed the mistake.

Gerard Dou and Still Life with Sleeping Dog

'Still life with sleeping dog' (1650) by Gerard Dou; Private Collection

I saw this painting featured in the exhibition Made in Holland at The Mauritshuis in The Hague and it is tiny! And adorable as well so you want to take it home with you but have to settle for the postcard. Although small in size, it's absolutely great in detail. The painter of this lovely portrait of a dog is Gerard Dou, also known as Gerrit Dou, born on April 7, 1613, and died on February 9, 1675. I will call him Gerard. I'm so used to Gerard because of the street named after him in Amsterdam. He was one of the Leiden Fijnschilders (fine-painters) whose aim was to reproduce reality on canvas as detailed as possible. I really love this painting but it was still difficult to choose between this one and the one of the old woman reading, known as Rembrandt's Mother, that's on display at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. It's a little bit like cheating to give you the link here because it feels like posting two paintings now. 

Jan Steen and Woman at her Toilet

'Woman at her Toilet' (c.1661-65) by Jan Steen; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Dutch painter Jan Steen was buried on February 3, 1679, and the moment I knew I could use him for this date, I was also a bit at a loss. Because I don't particularly like his paintings depicting chaotic household scenes. Those are the paintings that first come to mind when you think of Jan Steen. Then a friend of mine reminded me of the painting of the girl with the red stocking that is part of the collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, and I had totally forgotten about that one. I like this painting. It's a depiction of an everyday act, a young woman who is putting on her red stocking. But there might be more than meets the eye. If you want an explanation on the symbolism in this painting, click here.

Govert Flinck and the Blessing of Jacob

'Isaac blessing Jacob' (1638) by Govert Flinck; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Govert Flinck, born on January 25, 1615, is one of those Dutch painters that I know by name but never know exactly what his most famous paintings are. He was a portrait painter among others and he is well-known for his so-called Civic Guard Group Portraits (in Dutch: 'Schuttersstukken'). If you don't know what a 'Schuttersstuk' looks like, then think of Rembrandt's 'The Night Watch'. Click here for 'Schuttersstukken' by Flinck in the Rijksmuseum (in Dutch). Since I am not particular fond of this kind of paintings, I've chosen the beautiful 'Isaac blessing Jacob', an image of the biblical story. The painting reminds me very much of Rembrandt's work which isn't surprising. Flinck was a pupil of Rembrandt until 1636 and was greatly influenced by his master.