Gerard Dou

From the outset Dou was a fijnschilder (‘fine painter’), working with patience and precision on small-scale works. Many other artists adopted Dou’s highly detailed style, making him the founder of Leiden’s fijnschilder tradition. He was an expert at capturing light in all its forms, from ambient light and intense sunlight to candlelight. His renderings of materials – from cool stone to warm skin – were also incredibly true to life. Dou was the best-paid Dutch artist of his generation and internationally successful. Charles II of England invited Dou to work at his court, but nobody could persuade the painter to leave his beloved home city of Leiden.