Timothy and Lois

Willem Drost's Timothy and Lois from around 1650, in the Hermitage, depicts the young disciple Timothy with his grandmother Lois, a subject from the Second Epistle of Paul to Timothy. Drost was one of Rembrandt's most talented pupils, and this painting's Rembrandtesque qualities—the warm palette, dramatic chiaroscuro, and intimate psychological characterization—reflect his deep absorption of the master's style. Drost later traveled to Italy, where he died young, leaving a small but distinguished body of work.

The painting closely follows Rembrandt's technique in its warm golden palette, strong chiaroscuro, and sensitive handling of the two figures' interaction. Drost's rendering of the elderly woman's face and the young man's expression shows accomplished command of the Rembrandtesque idiom.