Man writing by an easel

This 1632 man writing by an easel is one of Dou's earliest independent works, painted shortly after completing his Rembrandt apprenticeship and establishing his independent Leiden studio. The scene of a figure at work — writing or drawing — was among the subjects inherited from Rembrandt's circle, and Dou's early treatment demonstrates how he was translating his master's interest in scholarly solitude into his own developing miniaturist style. The 1632 date places this at the very beginning of his career, when the Leiden tradition of depicting scholars in complex interior settings was being developed and before his distinctive fijnschilder technique had reached the extraordinary refinement of his mature work.

The early work shows the influence of Rembrandt's studio in its warm tonality and chiaroscuro effects, while already hinting at the more refined surface quality Dou would develop as his personal style.