DOU, Gerrit
(b. 1613, Leiden, d. 1675, Leiden)

An Evening School

1655-57
Oil on wood, 25 x 23 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

This painting belongs to a group of night scenes painted in the 1650s and 1660s by Dou. Here the candlelight allows the artist to demonstrate his skill in handling highlights and shadows, and to contrast the features of the old man and the young girl.