Portret van kunstenaar Gerard Dou 1752 - 1762

Antonio Pazzi created this print of the artist Gerard Dou sometime in the mid-18th century. Here we see Dou, the famed Leiden master, with the accoutrements of his trade. He rests his hand on a skull atop a plinth adorned with frolicking cherubs. Pazzi, an Italian engraver, likely never met Dou, who had died almost 70 years prior. Instead, Pazzi's print belongs to a long tradition of posthumous artist portraits. Such images helped cement an artist's legacy and contributed to the developing mythology of artistic genius. They also served as advertisements, signaling an artist's place within a lineage of masters. The Rijksmuseum holds a wealth of prints like this one, which offer invaluable insights into the cultural and institutional forces that shaped artistic reputations in the 18th century. By studying these images, we can better understand how the idea of the artist as a unique and celebrated figure emerged during this period.