Masterful Mystery in Leiden

Emotion, stillness, and melancholy. Phenomenally painted. But by whom? No one knows. For the first time, the most important paintings by the unknown but highly talented 17th-century Master IS come together in the exhibition *Masterful Mystery – On Rembrandt’s enigmatic contemporary*. Many of these works, featuring raw, almost hyperrealistic faces, are on display together for the first time. They are shown alongside work by contemporaries such as Rembrandt, Jan Lievens, and Gerrit Dou . Discover the mysterious story of a great artist whose name remained unknown. On view until March 8, 2026, at Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden. So, this is the last chance for this exhibition, which received 4 stars in NRC and Trouw. More info about painter Gerrit Dou can be found in this blog.

Gerrit Dou (1613 – 1675)

Dou, born and deceased in Leiden, initially apprenticed with his father, Douwe Jansz., who was a glass painter. Afterwards, he apprenticed for two years with the glass painter Pieter Kouwenhorn. At the age of fourteen, he apprenticed for three years as the (first) pupil of Rembrandt, who at the time had a studio in Leiden together with Jan Lievens.

In 1632, he established himself as an independent painter in Leiden and soon achieved great fame there. His work, certainly in the early stages, showed a strong influence from Rembrandt, so much so that the distinction is sometimes difficult to make. The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam owns his most important work, *Portrait of an Old Woman Reading* (c. 1630). From around 1640 onwards, he devoted himself to producing genre pieces (scenes from everyday life), generally painted on a small scale. In doing so, he worked with great detail. Due to this ever-increasing perfection in the details, he is considered one of the 'fine painters'. His refined technique even led him to manufacture his own brushes. However, a consequence of his great attention to detail was that his importance as a portrait painter declined: his clients simply did not have the time to pose for such lengthy portraits.

The scenes were often painted as if viewed through an arched window, which enhanced the intimacy of the scene. This technique has been widely imitated. He also perfected the light-dark effects (chiaroscuro) by producing candlelit night scenes, for which he conducted an extraordinary amount of preliminary study. He is also known as Gerard Dou, a French version of his name that he used at the end of his career.

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Dou produced more than 200, generally small works, which are dispersed among museums throughout the world. Seals: left – The Quack Doctor (1652), right – Young Woman at the Dressing Table (1667). The Leiden professor Franciscus de le Boë Sylvius (1614-1672) owned eleven of his works. Between 1708 and 1711, several works, including rare Night Pieces, were purchased by August II of Poland (1670-1733). Thirteen of his works are included in the private Leiden Collection (New York).

 

Reading Old Woman (c. 1631)

This painting is on display in the exhibition. Reading Old Woman (also known as: Old Woman Reading in a Lectionary) is an oil painting by the Dutch artist Gerrit Dou, created circa 1631–circa 1632. In earlier times, the work was attributed to Rembrandt van Rijn and was titled The Mother of Rembrandt. The portrait has been part of the collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam since November 1912.

In *Reading Old Woman*, Dou demonstrates his extraordinary talent and technical skill exceptional for his young age. Not only are the old woman and her clothing painted with great precision, but the biblical text in the lectionary and the accompanying print are also rendered in extreme detail and are clearly visible. It is clearly visible what she is reading: the beginning of the nineteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke. It states that whoever truly wishes to do good must give as much of their earthly possessions as possible to the poor. That message contrasts with the expensive clothing of the old woman, who evidently still clings to her possessions.

Dou depicts the old woman in an approach that is remarkably realistic for the time, by Northern European standards. He gives the viewer the feeling of being very close to the old woman, while she does not seem to notice her observer due to her portrayal in profile and her concentration on reading. The use of chiaroscuro, which he had learned from Rembrandt, is typical and emphasizes the important parts of the work. The background is uniform, austere, and does not distract further. Compositionally, the artist thereby creates a soothing diagonal contrast between the sections in the upper left and the lower right.

 

<strong> More info: </strong>

Masterful Mystery – About Rembrandt’s enigmatic contemporary, through March 8, 2026: https://www.lakenhal.nl/nl/verhaal/meesterlijk-mysterie

 

Previous museum blogs: https://www.postzegelblog.nl/tag/made-in-holland/