Adriaen van der Werff

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[edit] Biography

Adriaen van der Werff (1659–1722) was an accomplished Dutch painter of devotional and mythological scenes and portraits, active in Rotterdam and, to a lesser extent, Düsseldorf. Combining the highly worked finish of the Leiden tradition (learned from his master Eglon van der Neer) with the classical standards of the French Académie Royale, van der Werff became the most lauded Dutch painter of his day, gaining a European reputation and an enormous fortune. Arnold Houbraken, writing in 1718, considered him the greatest of the Dutch painters and this was the prevailing critical opinion throughout the 18th century: however, his reputation suffered in the 19th century, when he was alleged to have betrayed the Dutch naturalistic tradition.

Van der Werff also practised as an architect in Rotterdam, where he designed elegant house façades. His brother, Pieter van der Werff (1661–1722), was his principal pupil and assistant, imitating his style closely and making many copies of his work.