Girl with a Parrot
Possibly based on Dou's 'Girl with a Parrot,' formerly in the collection of Graf Gagarin, St. Petersburg
Follower of Gerrit Dou, Dutch (active Leiden), 1613 - 1675
Geography:
Made in Leiden, Netherlands, Europe
Date:
1670sMedium:
Oil on panelDimensions:
14 3/8 x 11 3/4 inches (36.5 x 29.8 cm)Curatorial Department:
European PaintingObject Location:
Inv. 432Credit Line:
John G. Johnson Collection, 1917
Made in Leiden, Netherlands, Europe
Date:
1670sMedium:
Oil on panelDimensions:
14 3/8 x 11 3/4 inches (36.5 x 29.8 cm)Curatorial Department:
European PaintingObject Location:
Currently not on view
Accession Number:Inv. 432Credit Line:
John G. Johnson Collection, 1917
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bird cage [x] birdcage [x] interior [x] parrot [x] red velvet pillow [x] smiling figure [x] window [x]Gerrit Dou was Rembrandt’s first pupil and established himself as the founder of the so-called fijnschilder (fine-painter) style, characterized by illusionism, smooth surfaces, and minutely rendered details. This work by a close follower of Dou uses a compositional format typical of the artist in which a figure leans over the ledge of an arched window and thereby draws the viewer’s gaze into the pictorial space. This young woman’s address to the viewer may be less innocent than it first appears, as the caged bird is symbolic of honor in need of preservation.
