A Hermit Praying, 1670
Gerrit Douexpand_more
Oil on panelexpand_more
The William Hood Dunwoody Fundexpand_more 87.11
On View in Gallery 309expand_more
The hermit monk turns to nature as a refuge from the temptations of the world. In the silence of his cave, he holds a rosary and meditates on the holy text. His altar is decorated with objects of devotion—the crucifix—stands as a symbol of salvation, the extinguished candle, skull, and hourglass are reminders of the brevity of human life, while the small straw basket which holds the hermit’s items for survival, suggest the virtues of frugality.
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Details
- Title
- A Hermit Praying
- Artist Life
- 1613–1675
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 87.11
- Provenance
- (Trafalgar Galleries, London, England in 1985);[1] sold to MIA in 1987. [1] Correspondence with the Dou scholar Ronni Baer indicates that she saw the work in March 1984, possibly at Trafalgar. A replica exists which went up for auction at Christie's, October 1990, which has a provenance since 1887. Many early bibliographies on Dou reference this painting, mistaking it for the [MIA] original. The work arrived at Trafalgar through an "English provincial sale", with no other source information provided.
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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