Edwin Lord Weeks - Along the Ghats, Mathura [c.1880]

Edwin Lord Weeks - Along the Ghats, Mathura [c.1880], originally uploaded by Gandalf's Gallery.

Edwin Lord Weeks (Boston, Massachusetts, 1849 – Paris, 1903) was an American artist. He was a pupil of Leon Bonnat and of Jean-Leon Gerome in Paris. He made many voyages to the East, and was distinguished as a painter of oriental scenes.

[Oil on canvas, 78.74 x 99.06 cm]

Nicolaes Maes - Portrait of Jan de Reus [1670s]

Nicolaes Maes - Portrait of Jan de Reus [1670s], originally uploaded by Gandalf's Gallery.

Jan de Reus (c.1600-1685) was a Rotterdam silk merchant. He was burgomaster of Rotterdam eight times, and a director of the Dutch East India Company from 1658. The identification of the sitter is made by comparison with a copy of the portrait by Pieter van der Werff (Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum). This painting is one of a series of portraits of directors of the Dutch East India Company (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam).

[Oil on canvas, 79 x 62.5 cm]

Thomas de Keyser - Portrait of Constantijn Huygens and his Clerk [1627]

Thomas de Keyser - Portrait of Constantijn Huygens and his Clerk [1627], originally uploaded by Gandalf's Gallery.

Constantijn Huygens the Elder (1596-1687), Lord of Zuylichem, served in the Dutch embassies in Venice and London and was knighted by James I in 1622. He became secretary and adviser to successive members of the ruling House of Orange, beginning with Prince Frederick Hendrick in 1625. He visited Amsterdam in 1627 and was married there in April of the same year. 

De Keyser's painting emphasises both the sitter's official role and his private interests. The tapestry on the rear wall of the room, decorated with the Huygens arms, represents the subject of Saint Francis before the Sultan. The elaborate still life of objects on the table includes a musical instrument (a chittarone), plans apparently showing architectural projects, and a pair of terrestrial and celestial globes. The painting is dated 1627 on the front of the chimney piece.

[Oil on oak, 92.4 x 69.3 cm]

Gerrit Willemsz Heda - Still Life with a Nautilus Cup [c.1645]

Gerrit Willemsz Heda - Still Life with a Nautilus Cup [c.1645], originally uploaded by Gandalf's Gallery.

A nautilus cup, glasses, books and food are seen on a table in front of a curtain (on the right). Traditionally this still life was attributed to the Haarlem painter Pieter Claesz. However, the elaborate composition and coarse technique make this unlikely: it is probably by Gerrit Willemsz Heda who imitated the work of his father, Willem Heda, but whose technique is cruder and compositions more cluttered.

[Oil on oak, 84.6 x 99.5 cm]

Frans Hal - Marriage Portrait of Isaac Massa [c.1622]

Frans Hal - Marriage Portrait of Isaac Massa [c.1622] , originally uploaded by Gandalf's Gallery.

An informal portrait of an extremely rich merchant, Isaac Massa, and a pretty burgomaster's daughter, Beatrix van der Laen. They commissioned their fellow townsman, Frans Hals, to portray them on the occasion of their marriage. Beatrix proudly displays the rings on her right forefinger: the bottom one is an engagement ring and the top one her wedding ring. Isaac holds his right hand over his heart - a sign of love and fidelity. 

Frans Hals has painted large parts of the portrait in a loose and almost nonchalant manner. Sometimes using a single brushstroke he is able to achieve a true-to-life effect. The placing of a couple of white marks on Beatrix's stomach makes the material appear to shine. Details such as the cap, ruffs and cuffs are more accurately depicted. 

[Oil on canvas, 140 x 166.5 cm]

Daniel F Gerhartz - Yellow Rose

Daniel F Gerhartz - Yellow Rose, originally uploaded by Gandalf's Gallery.

Thomas Wilmer Dewing - Young Girl Seated [1896]

Thomas Wilmer Dewling - Young Girl Seated [1896], originally uploaded by Gandalf's Gallery.

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (Boston, Massachusetts, 1851 – New York City, 1938) painted many images of young, elegant women who gaze away from the viewer as if lost in thought. The delicate brushstrokes in this painting emphasize the soft, gauzy material of the girl’s dress, and her skin appears pale against the dark background, creating a sense of fragility and tenderness. Dewing was surrounded by strong women (his wife was an artist and suffragist and his daughter was headstrong) and his idyllic images of ladies at leisure suggest that he was responding to the changing role of women at the turn of the twentieth century.

[Oil on canvas, 51.10 x 40.90 cm]