Portrait of a gentleman, three quarter length seated, wearing a brown coat with a red cape and a white scarf
Oil on canvas : 64,2 X 53,8 cm
Signed and dated “Naiveu / fecit 16..” middle right
Frame : 77,4 X 66,2 cm
Published by Adèle-Marie Dzidzaria in her research master thesis, “Entertaining Genre of Matthijs Naiveu”, 2007, P. 106, Catalogue Nr. 104, with colour photograph
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Matthijs Naiveu
Dutch painter
Leiden 1647 - 1726 Amsterdam
His name is sometimes spelt Neveu.
He was the son of a wine merchant from Rotterdam.
Portrait and genre painter.
He began his training with Abraham Toorenvliet (c. 1620-92), a glass painter and drawing master in Leiden, father of Jacob Toorenvliet.
From 1667 to 1669 Naiveu was apprenticed to the important Leiden 'Fine' painter Gerrit Dou, who received 100 guilders a year (an exceptionally high sum) for his instruction.
In 1671 Naiveu entered the Leiden Guild of St Luke, of which he became the head in 1677 and again in 1678.
He married in 1575 a widow with a 3-year old daughter, that same year their son Matheus was born.
In 1678 he moved to Amsterdam, probably because he wanted to make an ambitious professional advancement as a portrait painter; recently Amsterdam had lost a number of established portrait painters.
Later Naiveu was appointed hop inspector. This work did not prevent him producing a considerable number of paintings.
The earliest known work by Naiveu is dated 1668, the latest 1721.
There are dated paintings for almost every year in between; his most productive periods were 1675-79 and 1705-12, 1677 was his most productive year, that is the year before his move to Amsterdam.
About our painting
In her research master thesis, “Entertaining Genre of Matthijs Naiveu”, published by Adèle-Marie Dzidzaria in 2007 our painting holds catalogue Nr. 104 on P. 106. Dzidzaria has securely credited 17 portraits by Naiveu, all of them signed, 11 of them dated. Because the two last digits of our date could not be read, she has considered it as undated.
The two earliest known portraits by Naiveu are self portraits, dating from
1670 (aged 23, the year he finished his apprenticeship with Dou) and from 1675 (the year that Dou died).
The complete catalogue of Dzidzaria holds 108 paintings by Matthijs Naiveu, the major part of them genre scenes.
Why should you buy this painting?
- because it is a rediculously cheap price for a nice, fully signed, published portrait.