Self-portrait in a Window

Having mastered the art of perfect reproduction, an artist was assured of the highest acclaim. Dou, a genre, portrait and history painter, was the most prominent representative of the Leidse fijnschilders/Leiden fine painters. This small painting is an outstanding example of his exquisite technique. For the meticulous execution of the various textures, Dou probably used a magnifying glass or, as Joachim von Sandrart (1606–1688) reported, “the help of glasses”.
His Self portrait in a Window is one of eight self portraits. Accessories such as globe, book and pillar indicate social status and erudition. Here Dou reflects his self-conception as a scholarly artist, according to the humanist ideal of the scholarly painter, the pictor doctus.
In the background is an unfinished painting on an easel, under an open umbrella to protect it from falling dust.
In the mid-1640s, Dou introduced into Dutch genre painting the device of the “frame within a frame”. The stone window-arch forms an optical barrier between the pictorial space and the viewer, serving as an allusion on two levels of reality. Even the signature emphasises the illusionistic character.
Nocturnal scenes – in Dutch painting after 1650, renderings of artificial light-sources such as candle, torch and conflagration became a favourite genre, setting a technical challenge for artists.
Darkness, dramatic shadows and areas shining in candlelight combine to create an evocative atmosphere, highlighting the decisive moment in the game of cards.

OEHRING Erika: Dou Gerrit (Gerard), Self-portrait in a window, in: DUCKE Astrid, HABERSATTER Thomas, OEHRING Erika: Masterworks. Residenzgalerie Salzburg. Salzburg 2015, p. 40