Dutch Interior by Candlelight
Dutch Interior by Candlelight

Currently not on view

Dutch Interior by Candlelight,

1774

William Baillie, Irish, 1723–1793
after Gerrit Dou, 1613–1675; born and died Leiden, Netherlands
2005-109
One of Rembrandt’s earliest and most successful students, Dou was renowned during his lifetime for the artificial light effects he created in many of his jewel-like genre paintings; these meticulously crafted works were highly sought by collectors and popularized through reproductive prints such as this one. In Dou’s intimate nocturnal tableau, a soundly sleeping and perhaps inebriated woman is teased and ogled by two soldiers, one of whom holds a lit piece of rope or wick beneath her nose while the other lights his pipe from a candle. The complex play of light sources continues with the large lantern on the floor and the small lamp held by the servant girl watching in the background.

Information

Title
Dutch Interior by Candlelight
Dates

1774

Maker
William Baillie
after Gerrit Dou
Medium

Mezzotint on thin pink laid Japanese paper

Dimensions

plate: 35.1 x 25 cm. (13 13/16 x 9 13/16 in.)
sheet: 35.7 × 25.6 cm (14 1/16 × 10 1/16 in.)

Credit Line

Museum purchase, Felton Gibbons Fund

Object Number
2005-109
Place Made

Europe, Ireland

Inscription

Signed in plate below image, lower right; WBaillie fecit.

Inscribed and dated in plate below image, lower center: From the Original Picture by Gd. Dou in the Possession of Wm. Baillie Esqr. / Publish’d 1st. Janry. 1774

Marks/Labels/Seals

Collector’s stamp in blue ink verso and handwritten in ink, lower left: Collection D’Arenberg (Lugt 567) / No. 111

Reference Numbers
Meyer 58; Nagler 227
Culture
European, Irish
Type
prints, mezzotints
Materials
Japanese paper
Techniques
mezzotint
Subject
soldiers, candles, rooms, men, women, figures (representations)

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The Museum regularly researches its objects and their collecting histories, updating its records to reflect new information. We also strive to catalogue works of art using language that is consistent with how people, subjects, artists, and cultures describe themselves. As this effort is ongoing, the Museum’s records may be incomplete or contain terms that are no longer acceptable. We welcome your feedback, questions, and additional information that you feel may be useful to us. Email us at collectionsinfo@princeton.edu.

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