Smith, John: A catalogue raisonné of the works of the most eminent Dutch, Flemish, and French painters: in which is included a short biographical notice of the artists, with a copious description of their principal pictures : a statement of the prices at which such pictures have been sold at public sales on the continent and in England; a reference the the galleries and private collections in which a large portion are at present; and the names of the artists by whom they have been engraved; to which is added, a brief notice of the scholars & imitators of the great masters of the above schools (Part 1) (London: Smith and Son, 1829)

2

GERARD DOW.

An author states, that he was occupied five days in
painting the hand os Mad. Spierings, and above three
in painting a broomstick. If this statement be correct,
it is not difficult to account for his ill-success in por-
traiture. Dow, therefore, confined himself to familiar
and fancy subjects, in which he could indulge his
inclination for laborious finish, and his taste in the
choice of subjects. Having liberated himself from
the trammels of portraiture, he pursued freely the
natural bent of his mind, which led him to dwell with
inexhaustible patience upon all the minutice of his art,
and whatever conduced to its perfection. The anxious
care which he took to preserve the purity of his colours
is almost incredible. He prepared and ground them
himself, shut his palette and pencils up in a box, made
the window of his room almost air tight to prevent the
entrance of dust, always entered his room as slowly and
as quietly as possible, and seated himself gently in his
chair, where he paused to let all the dust subside pre-
vious to taking out his palette : the result of all which
care was the acquisition of an extraordinary purity of
colour. It would seem as though this ingenious painter
had studied the works of his master, Rembrandt,
through the medium of a convex lens ; for if his (Rem-
brandt’s) pictures are seen in this manner, a striking
resemblance is produced to those of Dow. It has
been observed by writers, that he painted from objects
ressected in a convex lens; but had he not previously
acquired a perfect knowledge of the chiaro-scuro of his
master’s works, his pictures would have the same feeble
effect which nature presents when viewed through
that medium.