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Van der Neer's first pictures date to the 1660s, the decade in which Dou, Frans van Mieris, Gerard Terborch, and Gabriel Metsu were at the height of their careers, working in a flourishing market awash with disposable income. Van der Neer's paintings from this early period, among them his Lady Drawing of about 1665, clearly resembles these masters' works. Its subject can be linked to a work by Metsu while the lady's shimmering satin attire and the overall, serene ambience of the panel strongly recall paintings by Terborch.
The Lady Drawing is probably not meant to represent a professional woman artist at work but rather a female member of the upper classes practicing drawing. Daughters of elite families were sometimes taught the rudiments of art (which could encompass drawing, painting, or even calligraphy), along with music and poetry in order to enhance their standing in society, particularly among respectable suitors.
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