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Bust of a Bearded Man by Gerrit Dou

Bust of a Bearded Man

Gerrit Dou·c. 1642/1645

Historical Context

Gerrit Dou's Bust of a Bearded Man, painted around 1642-1645, is an early work showing the artist developing the microscopically detailed technique that would make him one of the most expensive painters in Europe. The bearded man may be a character study or tronie rather than a formal portrait — a type of painting popular in Leiden that allowed artists to explore facial expression, costume, and lighting effects without the constraints of specific commission.

Technical Analysis

Dou's oil-on-panel technique demonstrates the developing precision of his fijnschilderij manner, with subtle gradations of light across the face and beard. The smooth, refined surface and meticulous attention to texture show the young artist already moving toward the extraordinary finish that would define his mature style.

Provenance

Possibly[1] Jacques Ignace de Roore, Antwerp;[2] (his estate sale, The Hague, 4 September 1747, no. 89, with pendant). possibly Johan van der Marck, Leiden; (his estate sale, by Hendrik de Winter and Jan Yver, Amsterdam, 25 August 1773 and days following, no. 66).[3] possibly (sale, Hôtel d'Aligre by Alexandre Joseph Paillet, Paris, 17 February 1777 and days following, 1st day, no. 79); (Jacques Langlier, Paris).[4] possiby Gilbert Paignon Dijonval [1708-1792], Paris;[5] by descent to his grandson, Charles-Gilbert, vicomte Morel de Vindé [1749-1852]; (his sale, by Charles Paillet and N. Bérnard, Paris, 17 December 1821 and days following, no. 21 bis); (Thomas Emmerson, London). possibly Jeremiah Harman [1763-1844], London, by 1842;[6] (his estate sale, Christie and Manson, London, 17-18 May 1844, no. 33); Robert Clouston [d. 1882], Balrath, near Navan, co. Meath, Ireland; (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 18 June 1881, no. 116); James.[7] Gottfried von Preyer [1807-1901], Vienna, by 1901;[8] (sale, 1902); purchased by William A. Clark [1839-1925], New York; bequest 1926 to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington; acquired 2014 by the National Gallery of Art. [1] This provenance puts together chronologically all the histories attached by a number of authors to various paintings that might be identified with the Gallery's painting; hence, through the 1881 sale, many "possiblys" are added to the text. The first author to do this was James Douglas Breckenridge, _A Handbook of Dutch and Flemish Paintings in the William Andrews Clark Collection_, Washington, 1955: 13 note. There is uncertainty identifying the Gallery's painting in the sale catalogue descriptions, in which the painting is often described as a portrait of the artist's father, and the authors sometimes describe separate paintings that might be the same one. See: John Smith, _A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish and French Painters_, 9 vols., London, 1829–1842: 1(1829):19, no. 55 [1777 Du Barry collection sale]; 34, no. 99 [Paignon Dijouval _sic_ collection bought 1821 _en bloc_ by Mr. Emmerson]; 9 (1842):18, no. 58 [Paignon de Dijonval, Emmerson, J. Harman]; Ernst Wilhelm Moes, _Iconographia Batava_, Vol. 1, Amsterdam, 1897: 483, no. 3984/2 [De Roore 1747] and 3 [Coulston _sic_ 1881, J. Harman 1844]; Wilhelm Martin, _Het Leven en de werken van Gerrit Dou_, Leiden, 1901: 203, no. 135 [Paignon Dijonval _sic_, Harman 1843]; Cornelis Hofstede de Groot, _Beschreibendes und kritisches Verzeichnis der Werke der hervorragendsten holländischen Maler des XVII. Jahrhunderts_,10 vols., Esslingen and Paris, 1907-1928: 1(1907):431, no. 291 [Paignon Dijonval _sic_, Emmerson, Harman 1844, Coulston _sic_ 1881, Von Preyer, Clarke _sic_]; 432, no. 292 [De Roore, 1747, Van der Marck 1773]; 436, no. 319d [Dubarry _sic_ 1777, and identified by the author as possibly the same as no. 292]. [2] This is the name as given in the 1747 sale catalogue. He was probably Jacobus Ignace de Roore, 1686-1747, a painter and art dealer in Antwerp. [3] Yver's name appears beside this lot (and lot number 67, a woman's portrait) in an annotated copy of the sale catalogue in the NGA Library, indicating the painting might have been bought in. [4] Although some of the paintings in this sale belonged to the comtesse du Barry, and Smith and Hofstede de Groot describe the sale as the Du Barry sale, not all the paintings were hers and the Dou was included in this group; see The Getty Provenance Index Databases, description and contents of Sale Catalog F-A450, where the buyer's name is also recorded. Langlier was a dealer; the painting does not appear in his sale, held 24 April 1786 and the following days at the Hôtel de Bullion in Paris. [5] Smith 1842, 18, no. 58, gives the name as Paignon de Dijonval. [6] Smith 1842, 18, no. 58. [7] Ernst Wilhelm Moes (_Iconographia Batava_, 2 vols., Amsterdam, 1897: 1:483, no. 3984, item 3) is the first author to cite this name, but incorrectly spells it "Coulston" and does not provide details about the 1881 sale. The correct spelling of the name, the identification of the 1881 sale, and the names of the buyers at both the 1844 and 1881 sales were kindly provided by Lynda Mcleod, libarian at Christie's Archives, London (e-mail of 17 April 2015, in NGA curatorial files). [8] Martin 1901, 203, no. 135.

See It In Person

National Gallery of Art

Washington, D.C., United States

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Quick Facts

Medium
Oil on panel
Dimensions
overall (oval): 18.41 × 14.92 cm
Era
Baroque
Style
Dutch Golden Age
Genre
Portrait
Location
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
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More by Gerrit Dou

Self-Portrait by Gerrit Dou

Self-Portrait

Gerrit Dou·ca. 1665

A Young Woman by Gerrit Dou

A Young Woman

Gerrit Dou·1640

The Hermit by Gerrit Dou

The Hermit

Gerrit Dou·1670

Portrait of an old woman reading by Gerrit Dou

Portrait of an old woman reading

Gerrit Dou·1631

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