Pieter Hermansz Verelst

Pieter Harmensz Verelst (, Dordrecht – 1668 in England) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Four of his sons, Herman, Simon, John (1648-1679) and William (1651–1702), also became painters. (A full family tree is given by Peter Hancox.) He married Adriana van Gesel in Dordrecht on 3 August 1638 having become engaged on 11 July 1638. Elisabeth had two daughters. She died somewhere between 1659 (the date of birth of her second child) and 1668.

Pieter moved with some of his children to London in 1668, possibly to live with Simon, and died in England in or about November 1668. (Pieter Verelst's death in England is recorded in his son John's response to an attempt by Simon Verelst to sue him.) and Hendrik Monij.

Genre and history pieces

Verelst is most associated with peasant interiors, usually of taverns with peasants smoking, carousing or arguing. While these scenes may recall those of Philips Koninck or Adriaen van Ostade, their style is more similar to that of Gerard Dou.

Portraits

Stylistically, Verelst’s early portraits are similar to those of the Rembrandt school, notably Govert Flinck or Jan Victors. Later portraits are characterised by an emphasis on elegance, for instance in the depiction of silky fabrics.

Selected works Genre and history pieces Boors playing at cards, 1653, oil on canvas, 32.0 cm × 27.0 cm, signed and dated. Richmond, Surrey, Ham House (National Trust), inv. NT 1139902. Three peasants in a tavern, , pen and brown ink, with brown wash, over black chalk, on paper, 14.6 cm × 16.4 cm, signed (PVE). Oxford, Ashmolean Museum, inv. WA1863.299. Zechende Bauern [Carousing farmers], , oil on wood, 46.0 cm × 71.0 cm (unframed). Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, inv. Gemäldegalerie, 616. Rauchende Bauern [Smoking farmers], , oil on wood, 29.0 cm × 35.0 cm (unframed), signed (PVE). Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, inv. Gemäldegalerie, 718. The Return of Tobias and the Angel, , oil on canvas, 108.5 cm × 143.0 cm. Private collection.

Portraits

Portrait d'Agatha van Hartigsvelt [Portrait of Agatha van Hartigsvelt] , 1642, oil on wood . Dijon, Musée des Beaux-Arts, inv. 77. Bildnis einer Frau [Portrait of a woman], 1648, oil on wood, 68.6 cm × 54.4 cm, signed (P.Verelst) and dated. Berlin, Gemäldegalerie, inv. 830. Tête de vieillard [Old man’s head], 1648, oil on wood, 72.3 cm × 55.0 cm, signed (P.Verelst) and dated. Toulouse, musée des Augustins, inv. 2004 1 200; 485 (Ro); D 1961 16.

Still-lifes

Still life with cups, römer glass, fruit and a box with bottles, 1654, oil on canvas, 92.0 cm × 112.4 cm. London, Christie’s, sale, 20 February 1981, lot 49. Kitchen still-life, 1655, oil on canvas, 118.0 cm × 164.0 cm, signed and dated. London, Christie’s, sale, 9 February 1979, lot 32. Dead birds and accessories of the hunt, , oil on canvas, 43.0 cm × 35.5 cm, signed. Denmark, private collection.