DOU, DOW, or DOUW. GERARn (1613-75). A Dutch genre painter, born at Leyden in April. 1613. 1Iis father, who was a glazier. apprenticed him first to an engraver and later to Pieter Konwenhooven, a painter on glass. but Don's real master was Itembrandt, with whom he studied and to whom he was indebted for his skill in chiaroscuro. Ile first devoted himself to portrait painting, in which he achieved great success: good examples are his two portraits of himself and of Rembrandt's mother in the Dres den Gallery. But genre subjects were better fitted to display his genius, and lie excelled in simple domestic scenes, painted with infinite attention to detail, 11c would depict a broom stick or a pan of vegetables with as much care fulness as the figures that were introduced. It is said that he not only prepared his own brushes, and pounded his colors, but worked with his own bands at everything required in the construction of a picture. Don often painted the artificial light produced by candle or lan tern and obtained charming effects of chiaro scuro. His picture "The Evening School"
(Ryks Museum, Amsterdam) is the best ex ample of the candle-light effect, Among his chief works are the "Woman Sick of the Dropsy" (160). "The Bible Reader." and the "Grocer Woman." in the Louvre: the "Girl at the Window," the "Schoolmaster," and the "Hermit," and others at Dresden; a "Por trait of Dou's Wife," and the "Poulterer's Shop," in the National Gallery. Be painted upward of two hundred works. He died in February, 1675. His style was tender and delightful, and his beautiful coloring enriched the simplest do mestic scene. He is the most important of the Dutch genre painters—the so-called 'Little Dutchmen'—and had a number of noted pupils. among whom were Franz van Mieris, Gabriel Metsu, and Slingeland. Consult: Van Dyke, Old Dutch and Flemish Masters (New York, 1895) ; Kugler, (IC rman, Flemish, and Dutch (London, 1898).