Gerrit Dou
(Leiden 1613–1675)
A Young Woman Holding a Hare with a Boy at a Window
c. 1653–57
signed, centre right on the lantern: GDOV (GD in ligature)
oil on oak panel
53.2 x 37.8 cm (20⅞ x 14½ in.)
‘The famous Gerrit Douw [sic], […] the excellent small-scale painter who knew how to depict his living subjects […] with such perfection that his work seemed so real [that it] could scarcely be distinguished from life’.
Simon van Leeuwen, Korte besgryving van het Lugdunum Batavorum nu Leyden, Leiden 1672, p. 191, as translated in Ronnie Baer, ‘The Life and Art of Gerrit Dou’, in Gerrit Dou 1613–1675: Master Painter in the Age of Rembrandt, exh. cat., National Gallery of Art, Washington; Dulwich Picture Gallery, London; Mauritshuis, The Hague 2000, p. 27
Hover to zoom to maximum level or click to enlarge
Artwork details
Frayed cloth, the dented surface of a metal milk jug, the white bloom of cabbage leaves, wicker, feathers and fur: this painting stands as one of the most sumptuous examples of Dou’s brilliance in depicting a wide range of textures with extraordinary realism. His refined technique earned him recognition as the founder of the Leiden school of fijnschilderij (fine painting), and the immaculate finish, enamel-like surfaces and harmonious compositions of his work were unparalleled.
Dou was apprenticed with Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) in his native Leiden, yet his earlier training in copper engraving and glass painting may help explain his swift stylistic departure from Rembrandt’s manner around 1631, when Rembrandt left Leiden for Amsterdam. As an independent artist, Dou soon rose to prominence, and his jewel-like paintings were celebrated as painted marvels and highly sought after by collectors throughout Europe.
Dou initially painted tronies and portraits but became best known for his intimate interior scenes populated by solitary figures absorbed in quiet, contemplative activities. So-called ‘niche paintings’ – compositions where arched stone windows frame the subjects – became a defining feature of his œuvre. Such architectural features invite the viewer to peer into the private lives of Dou’s subjects, whether physicians, scholars or, most often, women engaged in everyday tasks.
The present masterpiece exemplifies this compositional approach while lavishly showcasing Dou’s technical prowess. He sets out a wealth of objects on a sill above a motif that frequently features in his work: a stone bas-relief by François Duquesnoy (Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome). He renders with remarkable precision an array of textures, materials and spatial effects. These range from the reflective surface of the metal milk jug, the carrots and rooster’s head projecting beyond the sill, to the plush fur of the hare and the richly woven curtain. Dou’s careful consideration of each element of the composition, with its rich interplay of textures, reinforces the orchestrated harmony of the painting.
Over the course of 370 years, the painting has passed through the hands of relatively few collectors. By 1901, it had been acquired by Baron Alphonse James de Rothschild (1868–1949) and remained with the Rothschild family until its sale in 2023, with the exception of its theft by the Nazis in 1940 and subsequent restitution in 1946.
Paulus, Heer van Santvoort Loot (1673–1753), Amsterdam, and by bequest to his widow,
Margareta Verhamme (1722–1753), Amsterdam; her posthumous sale, Amsterdam, 16 March 1757, lot 2, where acquired for 2,500 florins by
Jan Bisschop (d. 1771), Rotterdam, from whom acquired by
John Hope (1737–1784) and his uncle, Adrian Hope (1709-1781), Amsterdam, and by descent to the former’s three sons
Thomas Hope (1769–1831), Adrian Elias Hope (1772–1834), Henry Philip Hope (1774–1839), under the trusteeship of their mother, Philippa Barbara van der Hoeven (c. 1738–1790), until her death in 1790, and then under the trusteeship of their father’s cousin, Henry Hope (1735–1811), who transported the art collection from Amsterdam to England;
Henry Philip Hope (1774–1839) and by descent to his nephew;
Henry Thomas Hope (1808–1862), London, and by bequest to his widow;
Anne Adèle Hope, née Bichat (1814–1884), and by inheritance to their grandson;
Lord [Henry] Francis [Hope] Pelham-Clinton-Hope (1866–1941), 8th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, London and Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire, from whom acquired in 1898 by
Asher Wertheimer and P. & D. Colnaghi, London;
Baron Alphonse de Rothschild (1827–1905), in the Salon rouge, hôtel Saint-Florentin, Paris, and by descent to
Baron Édouard de Rothschild (1868–1949), Paris;
From whom confiscated by the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg following the Nazi occupation of France in May 1940 (ERR no. R 84);
From whom acquired by Hermann Göring (1893–1946) on 5 November 1940 (no. RM 966);
Recovered by the Monuments Fine Arts and Archives section from Berchtesgaden (no. 704) and transferred to the Munich Central Collecting Point, 29 July 1945 (MCCP no. 5752);
Returned to France on 20 September 1946 and restituted to the Rothschild family;
By descent until sold
‘Rothschild Masterpieces’, Christie’s, New York, 11 October 2023, lot 21;
Where acquired by The Klesch Collection.
London, British Institution, Pictures now exhibiting, 1815, no. 73;
London, British Institution, The Works of Ancient Masters and Deceased British Artists, 1854, no. 65;
Manchester, Museum of Ornamental Art, Art Treasures of the United Kingdom, 1857, no. 1045;
London, British Institution, The Works of Ancient Masters and Deceased British Artists, 1866, no. 11;
London, South Kensington Museum, Catalogue of the Pictures of the Dutch and Flemish Schools, the Property of Mrs. Henry Thomas Hope, on loan to the South Kensington Museum, 1869, no. 52;
London, Royal Academy, Works by the Old Masters, and by Deceased Masters of the British School. Including a collection of drawings by John Flaxman, R.A., 1881, no. 97;
London, South Kensington Museum, A Catalogue of Pictures of the Dutch and Flemish Schools lent to the South Kensington Museum by Lord Francis Pelham Clinton-Hope, 1891, no. 15.
A Catalogue Raisonée of the Pictures now Exhibiting at the British Institution, exh. cat., British Institution, London 1815, pp. 43, 71, no. 73;
J. Smith, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish, and French Painters, vol. I, London 1829, pp. 5–6, no. 7 (valued at 500 guineas);
G.F. Waagen, Works of Art and Artists in England, vol. II, London 1838, p. 331;
G.F. Waagen, Treasures of Art in Great Britain: Being an Account of the Chief Collections of Paintings, Drawings, Sculptures, Illuminated Mss., &c. &c., London 1854, vol. II, pp. 116–117;
Catalogue of pictures by Italian, Spanish, Flemish, Dutch, French and English masters, with which the proprietors have favoured the Institution, exh. cat., British Institution, London 1854, p. 9, no. 65;
Catalogue of the Art Treasures of the United Kingdom, exh. cat., Museum of Ornamental Art, Manchester 1857, p. 72, no. 1045;
Catalogue of pictures by Italian, Spanish, Flemish, Dutch, French and English masters, with which the proprietors have favoured the Institution, exh. cat., British Institution, London 1866, p. 8, no. 11;
Catalogue of the Pictures of the Dutch and Flemish Schools, the Property of Mrs. Henry Thomas Hope, on loan to the South Kensington Museum, exh. cat., South Kensington Museum, London 1869, p. 8, no. 52;
Exhibition of Works by the Old Masters, and by Deceased Masters of the British School. Including a collection of drawings by John Flaxman, R.A., exh. cat., Royal Academy, London 1881, p. 23, no. 97;
A Catalogue of Pictures of the Dutch and Flemish Schools lent to the South Kensington Museum by Lord Francis Pelham Clinton-Hope, exh. cat., South Kensington Museum, London 1891, p. 5, no. 15;
W. Martin, Het leven en de werken van Gerrit Dou beschouwd in verband met het schildersleven van zijn tijd, Leiden 1901, p. 223, no. 259;
London, The Rothschild Archive, ‘Inventaire après le décès de Monsieur le Baron Alphonse de Rothschild, A. Cottin Notaire’, 16 October 1905 (hôtel Saint-Florentin, Salon rouge, ‘Un tableau de Gérard Dou – estimé trente mille francs’);
C. Hofstede de Groot, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, vol. I, London 1907, p. 413, no. 196;
E. Wiersum, ‘Het schilderijen-kabinet van Jan Bisschop te Rotterdam’, Oud Holland, 28, 1910, p. 174;
W. Martin, Gérard Dou. Sa Vie et son Oeuvre. Étude sur la peinture hollandaise et les marchands du dix-septième siècle, L. Dimier (transl.), Paris 1911, p. 206, no. 265;
A. Graves, Summary of and Index to Waagen, London 1912, p. 57;
C. Frégnac, Belles demeures de Paris. 16e–19e siècle, Paris 1977, repr. in situ pp. 74, 254 and 259;
C. Frégnac and W. Andrews, The Great Houses of Paris, New York 1979, repr. in situ pp. 74, 254 and 259;
J.W. Niemeijer, ‘De kunstverzameling van John Hope (1737–1784)’, Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek, 32, 1981, pp. 166 and 178;
R. Baer, The Paintings of Gerrit Dou (1613–1675), PhD diss., New York University 1990, under Appendix A (as ‘perhaps Stichting Nederlands Kunstbezit’);
N.H. Yeide, Beyond the Dreams of Avarice. The Hermann Goering Collection, Dallas 2009, pp. 143 and 357, no. A976, repr.;
Les Archives diplomatiques and J.-M. Dreyfus, Le Catalogue Goering, Paris 2015, pp. 436–37, no. RM966/F1229, repr.
If you would like to use this image for educational purposes, please contact us.
Hover to zoom to maximum level or click to enlarge
Gerrit Dou
(Leiden 1613–1675)
A Young Woman Holding a Hare with a Boy at a Window
c. 1653–57
signed, centre right on the lantern: GDOV (GD in ligature)
oil on oak panel
53.2 x 37.8 cm (20⅞ x 14½ in.)
‘The famous Gerrit Douw [sic], […] the excellent small-scale painter who knew how to depict his living subjects […] with such perfection that his work seemed so real [that it] could scarcely be distinguished from life’.
Simon van Leeuwen, Korte besgryving van het Lugdunum Batavorum nu Leyden, Leiden 1672, p. 191, as translated in Ronnie Baer, ‘The Life and Art of Gerrit Dou’, in Gerrit Dou 1613–1675: Master Painter in the Age of Rembrandt, exh. cat., National Gallery of Art, Washington; Dulwich Picture Gallery, London; Mauritshuis, The Hague 2000, p. 27
Artwork details
Frayed cloth, the dented surface of a metal milk jug, the white bloom of cabbage leaves, wicker, feathers and fur: this painting stands as one of the most sumptuous examples of Dou’s brilliance in depicting a wide range of textures with extraordinary realism. His refined technique earned him recognition as the founder of the Leiden school of fijnschilderij (fine painting), and the immaculate finish, enamel-like surfaces and harmonious compositions of his work were unparalleled.
Dou was apprenticed with Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) in his native Leiden, yet his earlier training in copper engraving and glass painting may help explain his swift stylistic departure from Rembrandt’s manner around 1631, when Rembrandt left Leiden for Amsterdam. As an independent artist, Dou soon rose to prominence, and his jewel-like paintings were celebrated as painted marvels and highly sought after by collectors throughout Europe.
Dou initially painted tronies and portraits but became best known for his intimate interior scenes populated by solitary figures absorbed in quiet, contemplative activities. So-called ‘niche paintings’ – compositions where arched stone windows frame the subjects – became a defining feature of his œuvre. Such architectural features invite the viewer to peer into the private lives of Dou’s subjects, whether physicians, scholars or, most often, women engaged in everyday tasks.
The present masterpiece exemplifies this compositional approach while lavishly showcasing Dou’s technical prowess. He sets out a wealth of objects on a sill above a motif that frequently features in his work: a stone bas-relief by François Duquesnoy (Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome). He renders with remarkable precision an array of textures, materials and spatial effects. These range from the reflective surface of the metal milk jug, the carrots and rooster’s head projecting beyond the sill, to the plush fur of the hare and the richly woven curtain. Dou’s careful consideration of each element of the composition, with its rich interplay of textures, reinforces the orchestrated harmony of the painting.
Over the course of 370 years, the painting has passed through the hands of relatively few collectors. By 1901, it had been acquired by Baron Alphonse James de Rothschild (1868–1949) and remained with the Rothschild family until its sale in 2023, with the exception of its theft by the Nazis in 1940 and subsequent restitution in 1946.
Paulus, Heer van Santvoort Loot (1673–1753), Amsterdam, and by bequest to his widow,
Margareta Verhamme (1722–1753), Amsterdam; her posthumous sale, Amsterdam, 16 March 1757, lot 2, where acquired for 2,500 florins by
Jan Bisschop (d. 1771), Rotterdam, from whom acquired by
John Hope (1737–1784) and his uncle, Adrian Hope (1709-1781), Amsterdam, and by descent to the former’s three sons
Thomas Hope (1769–1831), Adrian Elias Hope (1772–1834), Henry Philip Hope (1774–1839), under the trusteeship of their mother, Philippa Barbara van der Hoeven (c. 1738–1790), until her death in 1790, and then under the trusteeship of their father’s cousin, Henry Hope (1735–1811), who transported the art collection from Amsterdam to England;
Henry Philip Hope (1774–1839) and by descent to his nephew;
Henry Thomas Hope (1808–1862), London, and by bequest to his widow;
Anne Adèle Hope, née Bichat (1814–1884), and by inheritance to their grandson;
Lord [Henry] Francis [Hope] Pelham-Clinton-Hope (1866–1941), 8th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, London and Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire, from whom acquired in 1898 by
Asher Wertheimer and P. & D. Colnaghi, London;
Baron Alphonse de Rothschild (1827–1905), in the Salon rouge, hôtel Saint-Florentin, Paris, and by descent to
Baron Édouard de Rothschild (1868–1949), Paris;
From whom confiscated by the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg following the Nazi occupation of France in May 1940 (ERR no. R 84);
From whom acquired by Hermann Göring (1893–1946) on 5 November 1940 (no. RM 966);
Recovered by the Monuments Fine Arts and Archives section from Berchtesgaden (no. 704) and transferred to the Munich Central Collecting Point, 29 July 1945 (MCCP no. 5752);
Returned to France on 20 September 1946 and restituted to the Rothschild family;
By descent until sold
‘Rothschild Masterpieces’, Christie’s, New York, 11 October 2023, lot 21;
Where acquired by The Klesch Collection.
London, British Institution, Pictures now exhibiting, 1815, no. 73;
London, British Institution, The Works of Ancient Masters and Deceased British Artists, 1854, no. 65;
Manchester, Museum of Ornamental Art, Art Treasures of the United Kingdom, 1857, no. 1045;
London, British Institution, The Works of Ancient Masters and Deceased British Artists, 1866, no. 11;
London, South Kensington Museum, Catalogue of the Pictures of the Dutch and Flemish Schools, the Property of Mrs. Henry Thomas Hope, on loan to the South Kensington Museum, 1869, no. 52;
London, Royal Academy, Works by the Old Masters, and by Deceased Masters of the British School. Including a collection of drawings by John Flaxman, R.A., 1881, no. 97;
London, South Kensington Museum, A Catalogue of Pictures of the Dutch and Flemish Schools lent to the South Kensington Museum by Lord Francis Pelham Clinton-Hope, 1891, no. 15.
A Catalogue Raisonée of the Pictures now Exhibiting at the British Institution, exh. cat., British Institution, London 1815, pp. 43, 71, no. 73;
J. Smith, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish, and French Painters, vol. I, London 1829, pp. 5–6, no. 7 (valued at 500 guineas);
G.F. Waagen, Works of Art and Artists in England, vol. II, London 1838, p. 331;
G.F. Waagen, Treasures of Art in Great Britain: Being an Account of the Chief Collections of Paintings, Drawings, Sculptures, Illuminated Mss., &c. &c., London 1854, vol. II, pp. 116–117;
Catalogue of pictures by Italian, Spanish, Flemish, Dutch, French and English masters, with which the proprietors have favoured the Institution, exh. cat., British Institution, London 1854, p. 9, no. 65;
Catalogue of the Art Treasures of the United Kingdom, exh. cat., Museum of Ornamental Art, Manchester 1857, p. 72, no. 1045;
Catalogue of pictures by Italian, Spanish, Flemish, Dutch, French and English masters, with which the proprietors have favoured the Institution, exh. cat., British Institution, London 1866, p. 8, no. 11;
Catalogue of the Pictures of the Dutch and Flemish Schools, the Property of Mrs. Henry Thomas Hope, on loan to the South Kensington Museum, exh. cat., South Kensington Museum, London 1869, p. 8, no. 52;
Exhibition of Works by the Old Masters, and by Deceased Masters of the British School. Including a collection of drawings by John Flaxman, R.A., exh. cat., Royal Academy, London 1881, p. 23, no. 97;
A Catalogue of Pictures of the Dutch and Flemish Schools lent to the South Kensington Museum by Lord Francis Pelham Clinton-Hope, exh. cat., South Kensington Museum, London 1891, p. 5, no. 15;
W. Martin, Het leven en de werken van Gerrit Dou beschouwd in verband met het schildersleven van zijn tijd, Leiden 1901, p. 223, no. 259;
London, The Rothschild Archive, ‘Inventaire après le décès de Monsieur le Baron Alphonse de Rothschild, A. Cottin Notaire’, 16 October 1905 (hôtel Saint-Florentin, Salon rouge, ‘Un tableau de Gérard Dou – estimé trente mille francs’);
C. Hofstede de Groot, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, vol. I, London 1907, p. 413, no. 196;
E. Wiersum, ‘Het schilderijen-kabinet van Jan Bisschop te Rotterdam’, Oud Holland, 28, 1910, p. 174;
W. Martin, Gérard Dou. Sa Vie et son Oeuvre. Étude sur la peinture hollandaise et les marchands du dix-septième siècle, L. Dimier (transl.), Paris 1911, p. 206, no. 265;
A. Graves, Summary of and Index to Waagen, London 1912, p. 57;
C. Frégnac, Belles demeures de Paris. 16e–19e siècle, Paris 1977, repr. in situ pp. 74, 254 and 259;
C. Frégnac and W. Andrews, The Great Houses of Paris, New York 1979, repr. in situ pp. 74, 254 and 259;
J.W. Niemeijer, ‘De kunstverzameling van John Hope (1737–1784)’, Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek, 32, 1981, pp. 166 and 178;
R. Baer, The Paintings of Gerrit Dou (1613–1675), PhD diss., New York University 1990, under Appendix A (as ‘perhaps Stichting Nederlands Kunstbezit’);
N.H. Yeide, Beyond the Dreams of Avarice. The Hermann Goering Collection, Dallas 2009, pp. 143 and 357, no. A976, repr.;
Les Archives diplomatiques and J.-M. Dreyfus, Le Catalogue Goering, Paris 2015, pp. 436–37, no. RM966/F1229, repr.
If you would like to use this image for educational purposes, please contact us.
