DOUW (or

See also:

• DOW, LORENZO (1777-1834)
• DOW, NEAL (1804-1897)

Dow),

See also:

• GERHARD
• GERHARD, FRIEDRICH WILHELM EDUARD (1795-1867)

GERHARD (1613168o)  , Dutch painter, was born at Leiden on the 7th of April 1613 . His first instructor in drawing and design was Bartholomew Dolendo, an engraver;and he afterwards learned the art of glass-painting under Pieter Kouwhoorn . At the age of fifteen he became a pupil of Rembrandt, with whom he continued for three years . From the great master of the Flemish school he acquired his skill in colour,: ing, and in the more subtle effects of chiaroscuro; and the style of Rembrandt is reflected in several of his earlier pictures, notably in a portrait of himself at the age of twenty-two, in the Bridge-water House gallery, and in the " Blind Tobit going to meet his Son," at Wardour Castle . At a comparatively early point in his career, however, he had formed a manner of his own distinct from, and indeed. in some respects antagonistic to, that of his master . Gifted with unusual clearness of vision and precision of manipulation, he cultivated a minute and elaborate style of treatment ; and probably few painters ever spent more time and pains on all the details of their pictures down to the most trivial . He is said to have spent five days in painting a hand; and his work was so fine that he found it necessary to manufacture his own brushes . Notwithstanding the minuteness of his touch, how-ever, the general effect was harmonious and free from stiffness, and his colour was always admirably fresh and transparent . He was fond of representing subjects in lantern or candle light, the effects of which he reproduced with a fidelity and skill which no other master has equalled . He frequently painted by the aid of a concave mirror, and to obtain exactness looked at his subject through a frame crossed with squares of silk thread . His practice as a portrait painter, which was at first considerable, gradually declined, sitters being unwilling to give him the time that he deemed necessary . His pictures' were always small in size, and represented chiefly subjects in still life .

Upwards of zoo are attributed to him, and specimens are to be found in most of the great public collections of

Europe . His chef-d'ceuvreis generally considered to be the " Woman sick of the Dropsy," in the Louvre . The " Evening School," in the Amsterdam gallery, is the best example of the candlelight scenes in which he excelled . In the National Gallery, London, favourable specimens are to be seen in the " Poulterer's Shop," and a portrait of himself . Douw's pictures brought high prices, and it is said that President Van Spiring of the Hague paid him l000 florins a year simply for the right of pre-emption . Douw died in 1680 . His most celebrated pupil was Francis Mieris .