Gerrit Dou

GERARD DOU (1613 Leiden - 1675 Leiden) ALTER MALER IN SEINEM ATELIER Signiert und datiert unten rechts: GDov 1649 (auf dem Buch) Öl auf Holz. 68,2 x 53,5 cm. Provenienz Kurfürstliche Galerie, München. - München, Alte Pinakothek. - Kunsthandel Hoogendyk, Amsterdam. - Sammlung A. Jurgens, London. - Christie´s London 12.3.1948, Nr. 136. - D.M.K. Marendaz, London 1948. - Versteigerung dieser Sammlung, Sotheby´s London, 11.7.1973. - Galerie St. Lukas, Wien. - Deutsche Privatsammlung. Ausstellungen London 1980. C. Hofstede de Groot: Beschreibendes und kritisches Verzeichnis der Werke der hervorragendsten holländischen Maler des XVII. Jahrhunderts, 1907, Bd. I, S. 437, Nr. 317. - W. Martin: Gerard Dou. Des Meisters Gemälde, Stuttgart-Berlin 1913, S. 58. - R. Hunnewell: Gerrit Dou´s Selfportraits and Depictions of the artist, Diss. Boston University 1983, S. 189-193. - C. Brown: Images of a golden Past, New York 1984, S. 215. - R. Baer: The paintings of Gerrit Dou, Dissertation New York University 1990, Nr. 50. - Eric Sluijter: De lof der Schilderkunst, Hilversum 1993f, S. 23, Abb. 6. - Stephanie Sonntag: Ein Schauspiel der Malkunst, München/Berlin 2006, S. 85 und 301. Gerrit Dou war 36 Jahre alt, als er 1649 das Gemälde „Maler in seiner Werkstatt“ ausführte. Es zeigt einen alten Mann, der in konzentrierter Versunkenheit seiner Arbeit nachgeht. Seine Kleidung ist vornehm; über dem braunen Jackett trägt er einen dunkelgrauen Umhang, wie ihn damals Gelehrte trugen, dazu ein Barett aus rot-braunem Samt. Was der Mann malt, können wir wegen der Position von Staffelei und Leinwand nicht erkennen. Es könnten die Gegenstände sein, die auf einem Tisch im Vordergrund ausgebreitet liegen, allerdings sind diese zum Betrachter hin ausgerichtet und somit für den Maler nicht in gleicher Weise zu sehen. Die Szene findet in einem hohen Raum statt, der durch ein Fenster auf der linken Seite beleuchtet wird. Das einfallende Licht hebt den Kopf des Malers hervor, einen Messingkrug, dessen glänzende Oberfläche es zurückreflektiert, und einen gerafften, kupferfarbenen Vorhang rechts im Bild. Würde dieser zugezogen werden, wäre die Szene nicht mehr zu sehen. Damit erscheint der Bildausschnitt wie auf einer Theaterbühne inszeniert. Das Gemälde ist in mehrfacher Hinsicht ein ungewöhnliches Werk von Gerrit Dou. Mit 68 x 53 cm gehört es zu den wenigen „großen“ Bildern aus seiner Hand. Die Komposition wiederum ist weniger kleinteilig als bei seinen anderen Werken. Während diese zudem meistens sehr farbig sind, zeichnet sich dieses Bild durch eine fein abgestufte, äußerst raffinierte Farbpalette aus, die auf diversen braunen, grauen, gold- und kupferfarbenen Tönen aufbaut und zu denen Weiß und ein dunkles Blau im Kontrast hinzukommen. Der entscheidende Unterschied zum allergrößten Teil von Dous Gemälden liegt jedoch in der Tatsache, dass es sich hierbei nicht um ein Genrebild handelt und auch nicht um ein Selbstbildnis - die Dou mehrfach auch ausgeführt hat. Eric Sluijter und Ronni Baer haben sich mit der Ikonographie dieses Bildes beschäftigt und festgestellt, dass es eine Allegorie der Malkunst darstellt. Dou breitet hier in selbstreferenzieller Weise seine Vorstellung über die Malerei aus. Mit 15 Jahren war er zu Rembrandt in die Werkstatt gekommen und hatte in seiner unmittelbaren Nähe bis zu dessen Wegzug 1631 nach Amsterdam gearbeitet. Er blieb sein Leben lang in Leiden im selben Haus wohnhaft. Trotz des großen Erfolges lebte er einfach und unverheiratet. Sein Leben galt ausschließlich der Malerei, der er sich mit Fleiß, Geduld und Hingabe widmete. Das dürfte auch für den Maler auf diesem Gemälde zutreffen. Darüber hinaus aber beginnt die Entstehung eines Werkes der Malkunst mit der Inspiration, die hier dargestellt wird durch den fliegenden, seinen Pfeil abschießenden Putto. Ihre Aufgabe ist die „Imitatio“, die Nachahmung der Natur, für die die im Vordergrund ausgebreiteten Gegenstände stehen. Der große Maler sollte sich auch mit der Kunst und Poesie selbst beschäftigen, die in Gestalt der Gipsbüste, des aufgeschlagenen Buches und des Musikinstrumentes erscheinen. Sluijter (op.cit.) bemerkt, dass Gerrit Dou hier den Pfau bewusst als Demonstrationsobjekt für den Wettstreit zwischen „natura“ und „pictura“, zwischen Natur und Malerei, wählte, und wir dürfen auch annehmen, dass er sich mit der Nachahmung der Natur im Sinne einer Überwindung ihrer Vergänglichkeit auseinandergesetzt hat. Während das farbenprächtige Gefieder des Pfaus, dass die Natur nicht lange zu bewahren imstande ist, in der Malerei festgehalten, gewissermaßen „eingefroren“ werden kann, ist der Pfau selbst seinem vergänglichen Schicksal bereits unterworfen. Interessant ist darüberhinaus, dass das dominant im Vordergrund platzierte Tier seit der Antike als ein Symbol der Eitelkeit galt. Eitelkeit, so verstehen wir Dou, schadet dem Maler, Geduld hingegen ist eine seiner Grundbedingungen. Auf sie weist die Illustration der aufgeschlagenen Buchseite hin, die die biblischen Gestalten Tobit und Anna zeigt: Geduldig auf seinen Sohn wartend hütet Tobit das Feuer, während Anna als endlose Aufgabe einen Wollfaden spinnt. Zum Zeitpunkt der Entstehung dieses Gemäldes, das Ronni Baer als „eines seiner schönsten“ bezeichnet (op. cit.), gehörte Dou bereits zu den in ganz Europa bekannten Malern, dessen Werke äußerst gefragt und teuer waren. Er galt als der Begründer der sogenannten „Leidener Feinmalerei.“ Als er 28 Jahre alt war, hatte sein Gönner, der Historiker und Bürgermeister von Leiden Jan Orlers, ihn als einen Maler gewürdigt, dessen Stil von allen jungen Malern nachgeahmt werden sollte. In der Tat hat eine Vielzahl von Künstlern der nachfolgenden Generation seinen präzisen Malstil und seine reizvollen „Fensterbilder“ übernommen, samt der für sie typischen Einzelmotive. Gerrit Dou was 36 years old when he produced the painting 'Painter in his Studio' in 1649. It shows and old man lost in concentration on his work. He is elegantly dressed in a grey cloak over a brown jacket, such as the scholars used to wear, together with a beret of red-brown velvet. Because of the position of the easel and canvas we are unable to see what the man is painting. It could be the objects laid out on the table in the forground, but these are directed at the viewer and therefore wouldn't be seen in the same way by the painter. The scene is set in a tall room, lit by a window on the left hand side. The falling light accentuates the head of the painter, which is reflected in the shiny surface of a bronze tankard, and a gopper-coloured, gathered curtain on the right. If the curtains were drawn, the scene would hidden, therefore giving the feeling of an excerpt on a theatre stage. The painting is, in many ways, an unusual work by Gerrit Dou. Measuring 68 x 53 cm it belongs to the very few 'large' pictures from his hand. The composition on the other hand is less detailed than his other works. Where these are mostly very colourful, this work offers a finely graduated, particularly subtle colour palette built from various tones of brown, grey, gold and copper with white and dark blue lending contrast. The key difference to the great part of Dou's paintings lies in the fact that it is not a genre picture, and also not a self-portrait - of which Dou had produced many. Eric Sluitjer and Ronni Baur have studied the iconography of this picture and have established that it depicts an allegory to the art of painting. In a self-referential way, Dou is displaying his interpretation of painting. At the age of 15 he entered Renbrandt's workshop and worked in close proximity to him up until he left for Amsterdam in 1631. He lived his whole life in the same house in Leiden, and despite great success, he lived simply and never married. His life consisted only of painting, at which he worked with great diligence, patience and devotion. The same could also be said for the painter in this picture. The emergence of a work of the art of painting also begins with inspiration, represented here by the flying Putto, shooting his arrow. His job is the 'imitatio', the imitation of nature, for which the objects laid out in the forground stand. The great painter must also study art and poetry himself, here reflected in the arrangement of the plaster busts, the open books and the musical instruments. Sluijter noted that Gerrit Dou deliberately chose the peacock here to demonstrate the competition between 'natura' and 'pictura', between nature and painting. Here it may also be read that in the representation of nature we are overcoming its transience. Whilst the colourful feathers of the peacock are preserved or frozen in painting, something which nature is incapable of doing, the peacock itself has already been subjected to its temporary fate. It is also interesting to note that this animal, dominantly placed in the forground, has been a symbol of vanity since the Antiquity. According to Dou, vanity damages the painter, whereas patience should be one of its principles. This is represented by the illustration in the open book which shows the biblical characters of Tobit and Anna: patiently waiting for his son, Tobit tends to the fire whilst Anna has the endless task of spinnging wool. At the time this work was painted, described by Ronni Baer as 'one of his most beautiful', Dou was of those painters, famous in all Europe, whose works were particularly in demand and expensive. He was said to be the founder of the so-called 'Leidener fine painters'. At the age of 28 his patron, the historian and Mayor of Leiden, Jan Orler, named him as a painter, whose style should be imitated by all young painters. In fact, many artists of the following generations absorbed his precise painting style and his appealing 'window pictures' together with his typical representation of single motifs.

Gerrit Dou (Leiden 1613-1675) A young lady playing a clavichord with signature 'GDov' (lower right) oil on panel 15¼ x 12½ in. (39 x 32 cm.) (Possibly) James Duke of Chandos; (+), sale, Christopher Cock, London, 8 May 1747, lot 171 (£50.10). (Possibly) Maréchal d'Issenghien, Paris, 1754 (according to Descamps). J. Gildemeester Jansz., Amsterdam, by 1789; (+), sale, Philippe van der Schley, Amsterdam, 11 June 1800, lot 34 (975 florins to La Bouchere). (Probably) Pierre César Labouchère, Amsterdam. William Wells of Redleaf, London, by 1829; (+), Christie's, London, 12 May 1848, lot 110 (bought back by the Wells family for 340 gns.). Earl of Northbrook (according to Hofstede de Groot). Alfred de Rothschild, London, by 1884. with Agnew's, London, 1907, from whom purchased by George J. Gould, New York. with Duveen Brothers, New York, where acquired by the family of the present owners in 1927. (Possibly) J. B. Descamps, La Vie des peintres flamands, allemands et hollandais, Paris, 1753-1765, II, 225. C. Davis, A Description of the Works of Art Forming the Collection of Alfred de Rothschild, London, 1884, I, no. 13. W. Martin, Het leven en de werken van Gerrit Dou, Leiden, 1901, no. 301a. W. Martin, Gérard Dou, sa vie et son oeuvre: étude sur la peinture hollandaise et les marchands au dix-septéime siècle, trans. L. Dimier, Paris, 1911, no. 163. J. Smith, A catalogue raisonné..., London, 1829, I, p.45, no. 45. C. Hofstede de Groot, A catalogue raisonné..., London, 1907-1927, I, sect. III, no. 133, pp. 389-390. W. Martin, Gerard Dou, Klassiker der Kunst in gesamtausgaben, Stuttgart, 1913, p. 98. C.J. de Bruyn Kops, 'De Amsterdamse verzamelaar Jan Gildemeester Jansz,' Bulletin van het Rijksmuseum, no. 3, 1965, pp. 82, 84. R. Baer, The Paintings of Gerrit Dou (1613-1675), Ph.D. dissertation, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, 1990, II, p. 6, no. B6, III, fig. B6. R. Baer, Gerrit Dou 1613-1675: master painter in the age of Rembrandt, Washington, 2000, p. 142, under note 1. London, British Gallery, 1821, no. 821. Not on the market since the 1920s and its whereabouts unknown for generations, A lady at a clavichord by Gerrit Dou represents a thrilling rediscovery. Well-documented in the literature on Dou, this painting is an important example of the artist's late work. In the scene, an elegantly dressed woman in a fur-trimmed velvet jacket and satin skirt plays a clavichord. Her wide-set eyes, framed by soft curls and a pearl earring, are turned outward to meet the viewer's gaze. In the background, a group of three men and a woman sit around a table, making music and drinking. Enhancing the luxury of the scene is a finely appointed interior, which includes a handsomely tooled leather chair and delicately painted clavichord, sitting on a table covered by an Isfahan carpet -- a precious item in the seventeenth-century Netherlands. Nearby, a colorful tapestry hanging from the ceiling is pulled to one side, framing the scene. Dou's attractive young woman and her sumptuous setting entice the viewer, which in turn accentuates the artist's painterly skill. The subject and appearance of this painting indicate that it dates from the 1660s. In this decade, Dou moved away from the scenes of middle-class life on which he built his reputation and focused instead on representing opulent interiors of the upper classes. In doing so, he aligned his work with peers who were also painting elegant domestic scenes, such as Gerard ter Borch, Johannes Vermeer, and Dou's pupil Frans van Mieris. Dou began to paint more freely at this time, constructing his images through a mix of broad and precise strokes rather than the fine painting technique for which he was well-known and celebrated, particularly by his biographer Joachim von Sandrart. In the present work, such contrast in handling can be seen between the delicately painted face of the young woman and looser appearance of the background figures. In this late period after 1660, Dou also adopted a brighter palette, evident in the vibrant colors of the tapestry and garments in the present work. A lady at a clavichord shares elements with other key works from Dou's oeuvre from the 1660s. The subject closely resembles the painting in the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, from around 1665 (fig. 2). Although the young woman in the Dulwich picture is more modestly dressed, she too sits at a clavichord, her eyes turned to meet the viewer. In both instances, Dou included a tapestry to the right of the composition. This motif, combined with the direct gaze of the young women, draws viewers into the scenes and creates intimacy within the composition. With the curtains pulled aside, viewers are privy, and even welcomed, into private domestic spaces. Another related composition from the same period appears in Dou's A lady at her toilet in the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam, dated 1667. In this painting, a well-dressed woman stares out at the viewer through a mirror, creating the same seductive effect that exists in the present work: a blurred boundary between material value and beauty (Baer 2001, op. cit., p. 128). In Dou's lifetime, scenes of making music such as A lady at a clavichord were often associated with harmony and love, and in seventeenth-century Dutch painting it was overwhelmingly women who were depicted in the role of clavichord player. Scholars have suggested that Dou's paintings of this subject may have influenced Vermeer's A lady seated at a virginal from around 1675 in The National Gallery, London (fig. 3), which shares many compositional elements with Dou's work and makes the connection between music and love all the more overt through the inclusion of Dirck van Baburen's Procuress hanging behind the sitter (A. Wheelock, Johannes Vermeer, New Haven and London, 1995, pp. 202-203, note 10). The expectant gaze of the young woman and drawn curtain relate closely to Dou's works and demonstrate the lasting success that he and his contemporaries found with this theme. A lady at a clavichord belonged to several major collections in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Although its early provenance periodically has become tangled with that of the Dulwich picture, it can be confirmed that this work was owned by Dutch collector Jan Gildemeester, a wealthy merchant and Consul-General of Portugal. Upon seeing Gildemeester's collection in 1789, English visitor Samuel Ireland wrote that it 'is formed with more taste than any I have yet seen...his politeness and attention can only be equaled by the happy selection he had made' and goes on to mention Dou by name. In 1792, Gildemeester moved to a large house on the Herengracht in Amsterdam, which he filled with his important collection. In a painting now in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam from 1794/95, Adriaan de Lelie depicted the collector and visitors in his gallery (fig. 1). In the scene, Gildemeester's home is filled from floor to ceiling with paintings, many of which can be identified today, including Ter Borch's The letter now in the Royal Collection, London, above the gentleman seated at left and, directly below, Dou's A lady at a clavichord. In the nineteenth century, the painting belonged to William Wells of Redleaf and, according the Hofstede de Groot, the Earl of Northbrook, before eventually purchased by the family of the present owners from Duveen Brothers in 1927.

Gérard Dou, b. Leiden 1613, d. s.p. 1675 An old dignified woman in a black dress with white collar and bonnet. Her right hand on the Bible. Unsigned. Inscribed Ætatis sua 76 Anno 1633. Oil on panel. 39 x 31 cm. Literature: Gunnar Buchwald, "Samtaler med en samler" (Conversations with a Collector - Ejler Ruge), 1972, reproduced fig. 25. Provenance: Landowner Ejler Ruge. On the frame red lacquer seal with four bulls.

LOT 151 THE PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR GERRIT DOU LEIDEN 1613 - 1675 AN ELDERLY WOMAN, SEATED BY A WINDOW AT HER SPINNING WHEEL,EATING PORRIDGE signed lower right: GDov oil on panel 2,000,000—3,000,000 USD 20 1/4 by 16 1/8 in.; 51.5 by 41 cm. signed lower right: GDov Crawford, Rotterdam;His sale, London, Christie's, 26th April 1806, lot 10(as by Domenicus van Tol), to Richard Payne Knight;Thomas Andrew Payne Knight, Downton Castle, Ludlow,Shropshire;Thence by descent to Denis Lennox;By whom sold, London, Christie's, 4th May 1979, lot 107,when bought by the present owner. Birmingham, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Art Treasuresof the Midlands , 1934, no. 135;London, Leger Galleries, Fine Paintings by Old Masters ,1948, no. 2 (reproduced, in the catalogue, p. 2);Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury Art Gallery, Pictures from ShropshireHouses , 1951, no. 10;London, David Carritt Ltd., Ten Paintings by Gerard Dou ,1980, no. 4;Amsterdam, Waterman Gallery, Groningen, Groninger Museum, TheImpact of a Genius: Rembrandt, His Pupils and Followers in theSeventeenth Century , 1983, no. 15;Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art (18 March – 13 May),Berlin, Gemäldegalerie, SMPK (8 June – 12 August), London, RoyalAcademy of Arts (7 September – 18 November), Masters ofSeventeenth-Century Dutch Genre Painting , 1984, no. 32;Berlin, Altes Museum, 12 September-10 November 1991, AmsterdamRijksmuseum, 4 December 1991-1 March 1992, London, The NationalGallery, 26 March-24 May 1992, Rembrandt. The Master & HisWorkshop, no. 57;Tokyo, Chiba, Yamaguchi, Rembrandt, his teachers and pupils, 1992, no. 34. W. Martin, Gerrit Dou: Des Meisters Gemälde, (Klassiker derKunst) , Stuttgart & Berlin 1913, p. 102 (known from aphotograph, from which uncertain whether copy after or autographrepetition of the Schwerin picture);A. Graves, A Century of Loan Exhibitions , London 1918-21,vol. 3, p. 292 (as Dou);I. Gaskell, ````Gerrit Dou and trompe l'oeil,' letter inThe Burlington Magazine , vol. 123, no. 936, March 1981, p.164 (as by Domenicus van Tol, copying the Schwerin picture);O. Naumann, ````Gerrit Dou and Van Tol,' letter in The BurlingtonMagazine , vol. 123, no. 943, October 1981, pp. 617-18,reproduced fig. 42 (as the original by Dou; the Schwerin picture acopy (but not by Van Tol), mentioning the Schaeffer Galleriespicture but reserving judgement pending inspection in theoriginal);W. Sumowski, Gemälde der Rembrandt Schuler , Landau/Pfalz1983, vol. I, p. 529, under no. 264 (as a copy or replica of theSchwerin picture);G. Jansen & W.L. van de Watering, in A. Blankert (etal) , The Impact of a Genius: Rembrandt, His Pupils andFollowers in the Seventeenth Century , exhibition catalogue,Amsterdam 1983, p. 120, no. 15, reproduced in colour (as theoriginal by Dou; the Schwerin painting as a copy by "an unskilledfollower");O. Naumann, in P. Sutton (ed.), Masters of Seventeenth-CenturyDutch Genre Painting, exhibition catalogue, Philadelphia 1984,p. 183, no. 32, reproduced in colour plate 53; also p. 181, underno. 31 (as the original by Dou; the Schwerin picture as a replicaby Van Tol, and listing a further copy with Schaeffer Galleries,New York);R. Baer, The Paintings of Gerrit Dou (1613-1675), dissertation, New York 1990, unpaginated, no. 10 (as the originalby Dou; the Schwerin picture as a replica); also under nos. 5 &9;C. B[rown], in C. Brown, J. Kelch, P.J.J. van Thiel, Rembrandt:the Master & his Workshop, exhibition catalogue, New Haven& London 1991, p. 306, no. 57, reproduced in colour (as theoriginal by Dou; the Schwerin picture as an autographreplica);C. Brown, in Rembrandt, his teachers and pupils, exhibitioncatalogue, Tokyo 1992, pp. 102, 232, no. 34, reproduced (as theoriginal by Dou; the Schwerin picture as an autographreplica);E.J. Crawford, Rotterdam;His sale, London, Christie's, 26th April 1806, lot 10(as by Domenicus van Tol), to Richard Payne Knight;Thomas Andrew Payne Knight, Downton Castle, Ludlow,Shropshire;Thence by descent to Denis Lennox;By whom sold, London, Christie's, 4th May 1979, lot 107,when bought by the present owner. Birmingham, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Art Treasuresof the Midlands , 1934, no. 135;London, Leger Galleries, Fine Paintings by Old Masters ,1948, no. 2 (reproduced, in the catalogue, p. 2);Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury Art Gallery, Pictures from ShropshireHouses , 1951, no. 10;London, David Carritt Ltd., Ten Paintings by Gerard Dou ,1980, no. 4;Amsterdam, Waterman Gallery, Groningen, Groninger Museum, TheImpact of a Genius: Rembrandt, His Pupils and Followers in theSeventeenth Century , 1983, no. 15;Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art (18 March – 13 May),Berlin, Gemäldegalerie, SMPK (8 June – 12 August), London, RoyalAcademy of Arts (7 September – 18 November), Masters ofSeventeenth-Century Dutch Genre Painting , 1984, no. 32;Berlin, Altes Museum, 12 September-10 November 1991, AmsterdamRijksmuseum, 4 December 1991-1 March 1992, London, The NationalGallery, 26 March-24 May 1992, Rembrandt. The Master & HisWorkshop, no. 57;Tokyo, Chiba, Yamaguchi, Rembrandt, his teachers and pupils, 1992, no. 34. W. Martin, Gerrit Dou: Des Meisters Gemälde, (Klassiker derKunst) , Stuttgart & Berlin 1913, p. 102 (known from aphotograph, from which uncertain whether copy after or autographrepetition of the Schwerin picture);A. Graves, A Century of Loan Exhibitions , London 1918-21,vol. 3, p. 292 (as Dou);I. Gaskell, ````Gerrit Dou and trompe l'oeil,' letter inThe Burlington Magazine , vol. 123, no. 936, March 1981, p.164 (as by Domenicus van Tol, copying the Schwerin picture);O. Naumann, ````Gerrit Dou and Van Tol,' letter in The BurlingtonMagazine , vol. 123, no. 943, October 1981, pp. 617-18,reproduced fig. 42 (as the original by Dou; the Schwerin picture acopy (but not by Van Tol), mentioning the Schaeffer Galleriespicture but reserving judgement pending inspection in theoriginal);W. Sumowski, Gemälde der Rembrandt Schuler , Landau/Pfalz1983, vol. I, p. 529, under no. 264 (as a copy or replica of theSchwerin picture);G. Jansen & W.L. van de Watering, in A. Blankert (etal) , The Impact of a Genius: Rembrandt, His Pupils andFollowers in the Seventeenth Century , exhibition catalogue,Amsterdam 1983, p. 120, no. 15, reproduced in colour (as theoriginal by Dou; the Schwerin painting as a copy by "an unskilledfollower");O. Naumann, in P. Sutton (ed.), Masters of Seventeenth-CenturyDutch Genre Painting, exhibition catalogue, Philadelphia 1984,p. 183, no. 32, reproduced in colour plate 53; also p. 181, underno. 31 (as the original by Dou; the Schwerin picture as a replicaby Van Tol, and listing a further copy with Schaeffer Galleries,New York);R. Baer, The Paintings of Gerrit Dou (1613-1675), dissertation, New York 1990, unpaginated, no. 10 (as the originalby Dou; the Schwerin picture as a replica); also under nos. 5 &9;C. B[rown], in C. Brown, J. Kelch, P.J.J. van Thiel, Rembrandt:the Master & his Workshop, exhibition catalogue, New Haven& London 1991, p. 306, no. 57, reproduced in colour (as theoriginal by Dou; the Schwerin picture as an autographreplica);C. Brown, in Rembrandt, his teachers and pupils, exhibitioncatalogue, Tokyo 1992, pp. 102, 232, no. 34, reproduced (as theoriginal by Dou; the Schwerin picture as an autographreplica);E.J. Sluijter, De lof der schilderkunst. Over schilderijen vanGerrit Dou (1613-1642) en een van Philips Angel uit 1642, Hilversum 1993, pp. 47-8, reproduced p. 48, fig. 23 (as by Dou; theSchwerin picture not mentioned);W. Sumowski, Gemälde der Rembrandt Schuler , Landau/Pfalz1983, vol. VI (1994), p. 3596, under no. I, Kat.-Nr.264 (withoutcomment, citing previous literature and opinions for both thepresent and the Schwerin versions, but misrepresenting Naumann's1981 view as ascribing the latter to Van Tol);R. Baer, Gerrit Dou 1613-1675. Master Painter in the Age ofRembrandt , exhibition catalogue, Washington 2000, p. 68, underno. 3 (as by Dou);J. Wadum, ````Dou doesn't paint, oh no, he juggles with his brush.Gerrit Dou, a Rembrandtesque Fijnschilder', in Art Matters, I, 2002, p. 73 (as the original by Dou; the Schwerin picture as anautograph replica of circa 1637);W. Franits, Dutch seventeenth–century genre painting. Itsstylistic and thematic evolution, New Haven & London 2004,p. 131, reproduced fig. 117 (as by Dou);G. Seelig, Die holländische Genremalerei in Schwerin, Petersberg 2010, p. 82, under no. G 140, especially n62 (as theoriginal by Dou; the Schwerin picture as a copy). Gerrit Dou, the founder of the Leiden school offijnschilders, was initially trained as a glass engraver,and was a member of the glaziers' guild in Leiden from 1625 to1627. In February 1628, however, he entered Rembrandt's studio, andprobably stayed there until Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam in 1631 or1632, when he is assumed to have become an independent master inLeiden. This is an early work by Gerrit Dou. It is generally dated circa1631-5, thus to around the time that Dou left Rembrandt's studio,or shortly thereafter. Christopher Brown, who hailed it as "anoutstanding example of Dou's early, independent style," favoured aslightly later span of plausible dating, to circa 1632-7, as didWayne Franits.1Ronni Baer compares this work on thematic and compositional groundswith the Old Woman Eating Apples in Berlin which she datesslightly earlier, but notes that it is more advanced in therendering of materials and the depiction of space: "the compositionhere is more balanced and the figure is handled with moreassurance".2 Both works feature still life elements,some of which recur in both works, including the overturned pot andwicker basket. As Otto Naumann observed, Dou frequently repeated motifs in hisearly paintings, and returned to them later on.3 He usedthe same type of room setting seen here, with a large arched windowto the left, a spiral staircase beyond, and a lantern or candelabrahanging from a transverse beam near the picture plane, in apainting depicting a man writing at an easel in a privatecollection, datable circa 1631-2, and the same window occurs inother works of around this date. Dou continued to use this basiccompositional form throughout the rest of his career, at leastuntil the late 1660s. Dou has here used the same model as inseveral other early works, most notably the Old Woman dressed ina Fur Coat in Berlin, and Christopher Brown suggested sherecurs in Rembrandt's Prophetess Hannah, now in theRijksmuseum, Amsterdam.4 She is the type traditionallyidentified as Rembrandt's mother. Little seen until the DutchGenre Painting exhibition in 1984, this picture was formerlythought to be a copy after a version in Schwerin (see fig. 1); thatpicture is now widely acknowledged to be a replica or copy and thepresent work the prime original.5 The Schwerin picturehas some additions: a bowl and spoon at the woman's feet and anearthenware jar and a cat eating from a dish in the lower leftcorner; and the composition is cut off to the left so that only asmall part of the window is visible.6 Its signature hasbeen described as possibly added and untypical for Dou.7Since the present work came to light the Schwerin picture hasgenerally been considered to be a copy, some considering it areplica by Dou himself, although Gaskell in 1981 and Sumowski in1983 continued to assert its primacy, the former giving the presentwork to Dou's pupil and nephew Domenicus van Tol, thus assertingits misattribution in the 1806 sale.8 Baer lists afurther copy formerly with Schaeffer Galleries, New York, andsubsequently sold New York, Sotheby's, 5 November 1986, lot 59 (seefig. 2; as Follower of Dou); this picture was first discussed inthe literature by Naumann: in 1981, when he knew it only from aphotograph; and then in 1984, when he gave it as a copy.9 The present picture has often been confused in thepast with one sold at Christie's in London from the collection ofCol. Fitzgibbon on 5th March 1836, lot 96, for 24Guineas to Edwards (````G. Dow. An Interior with an old woman witha spinning wheel, eating soup; with admirable effect of light;engraved'). While this cannot be the Schwerin replica, whichhas been there since between 1725 and 1752, it may perhaps be theSchaeffer Galleries copy sold in 1986, as Naumannsuggested.10 1. See under literature, 1991 & 2004.2. See under literature, 1990. The Berlin picture is no. 5 in hercatalogue raisonné.3. See under literature, 1984.4. See under literature, 1991, reproduced figs 57 a &57b.5. Inv. G 140; oil on panel, 51.7 x 41.5 cm. The monogram GD immediately above the spigot on the end of the barrel was firstdoubted by C. Hofstede de Groot in 1907 (cited in Seelig, 2010),and described as unlikely to be an original signature by Dou, amongothers, Otto Naumann in 1981 & Christopher Brown in 1991.Recent technical examination under microscope has revealed noindication that it is a later addition (Seelig, 2010).6. Jørgen Wadum (see literature, 2002) saw these as additionalrepoussoir devices typical of Dou himself, but Seelig (seeliterature, 2010) does not support this.7. According to Brown, idem. 8. See under literature,1981 & 1983.9. See under literature, 1990 & 1981 respectively. Theprovenance of this picture is as follows:With D. Katz, Dieren, 1938 (when exhibited in Amsterdam, Dutch& Flemish Paintings, 7 May-4 June, no. 22, as byDou);With Schaeffer Galleries, New York, 1939 (when exhibited,Seventeen Masterpieces of the Seventeenth Century, 3February-15 March, no. 3, as by Dou);F.D. Heastand, San Francisco;By whom sold, New York, Parke-Bernet Galleries, 12 December 1956,lot 45, as by Dou;With Acquavella Gallery, New York;Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby's, 5 November 1986, lot 59 (asFollower of Gerrit Dou).10. See under literature, 1981, especially n2. Both Gaskell andNaumann acknowledge Ellis Waterhouse's discovery of the 1806provenance of the present work.

LOT 49 THE PROPERTY OF A FAMILY GERARD DOU LEIDEN 1613 - 1675 AN OLD BEARDED MAN signed centre right: GD (in ligature) ov oil on panel 150,000—200,000 EUR 14.9 by 11.6 cm. PROVENANCE Possibly Vincent Donjeux; Possibly his sale, Paris, Lebrun, Paillet, 29 April 1793, lot 187,for 601 francs to Solier; Possibly Daniel Mansveld; Possibly his sale, Amsterdam, Jacobus Vinkeles, 13 August 1806, lot320, for 265 guilders; Possibly Miss F.A. Bodley, Bournemouth; By whom sold, London, Sotheby's, 14 May 1930, lot 25, for £ 105 to Asscher; With D. Vaarties, Rotterdam; Where bought by the grandfather of the presentowners. LITERATURE AND REFERENCES Possibly C. Hofstede de Groot, Beschreibendes und kritischesVerzeichnis der Werke..., Esslingen/Paris 1907, p. 436, no.320. CATALOGUE NOTE This recently discovered and hitherto unrecorded little panelperfectly illustrates not only Dou's sympathy for one of hisfavourite subjects, but also the meticulous technique that made hisworks of this type so famous in his own day and beyond. The old man shown as a tronie here must have been afavourite model of the artist, since he appears in a number of hisworks. He is often portrayed as a solitary hermit or religiousfigure at prayer, a theme Dou explored throughout his career, fromthe mid-1630s right up to 1670. The figures, shown both full-lengthand half-length, are sometimes portrayed before crucifixes orholding rosaries and bibles, and sometimes kneeling in a landscapeor a grotto, such as that sold New York, Christie's, 9 June 2010,lot 39. Others, such as the present panel, are more simply andsparely depicted. As with much of his early subject matter, Douborrowed the subject from Rembrandt van Rijn, with whom he hadbegun his apprenticeship on 14 February 1628. 1 This andother works in this vein may, for example, have been influenced byRembrandt's print of Saint Jerome, of around 1635 2 ,which shows a similar figural type. Dou's interest in these subjects seems to have been rekindled after circa 1660 and the present work probably also dates fromlate in his career. Both the style and execution of the head of theold man closely relate to the Hermit at Prayer in theRijksmuseum, Amsterdam (inv. no. C128) 3 , signed anddated 1664, and to another Praying Hermit in the MinneapolisInstitute of Arts, Minneapolis (inv. no. 87.11) 4 , signedand dated 1670. Another Head of a bearded old man that isvery closely comparable to this painting was sold New York,Sotheby's, 26 January 2006, lot 15, for $1.248.000 (oil on panel,17.8 by 12.7 cm.). In both this and the present work, Dou hasstripped the old man from all his accoutrements and iconographicreferences. He has placed the figure bust-length in the foregroundof the picture plane against a plain background, with just a beamof light illuminating his face, thus emphasizing the old man'shumble and reverential attitude. All these hermits must have beenpainted around the same time in light of their very similarhandling. Compared to works in his earlier exquisitely detailed fijnschilder technique, they can be characterized by asomewhat more painterly handling of the brush. Nonetheless, Dou hashere skilfully captured the different materials and textures. Inparticular, the cloak is painted thinly with looser, broaderstrokes, while the wrinkled texture of the forehead, the furrowedbrows and the subtle strokes of the beard are more meticulouslyrendered. Although the early history of this little panel is unknown, it istempting to associate it with some references to similar works inold sale records (see under Provenance). In particular those soldParis, 29 April 1973, lot 187, which was described as "un vieillardportant barbe er quelques masse de cheveux, dont une partie ducrâne est dépourvue; il est vu en buste; tenant de la main gauches