Gerrit de Hooch was a 17th-century Dutch painter of

italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

landscapes, who lived and worked in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

(the Netherlands). He was a member of the local guild of artists, the

Confrerie Pictura The Confrerie Pictura was a more or less academic club of artists founded in 1656 in The Hague (the Netherlands) by local art painters, who were unsatisfied by the Guild of Saint Luke there. History The guild of St. Luke in the Hague existed a ...

since 1660. Born as a son of local bailiff Eliseus de Hoog (also de Hooch) and Josina van Platen, who married in 1629 in The Hague. Gerrit's wife, Anna van Eyck (born The Hague 1629, married 1660 The Hague), is recorded widow in 1680. Anna's father was Hermanus van Eyck, who had the great philosopher

Daniel Heinsius Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength"), ...

as an uncle and tutor. Gerrit himself is related to the portrait painter Dirck Cornelis de Hooch, who was his father's brother. Gerrit's son Eliseus de Hooch was a painter, too (Mr Constrijkschilder) and an engraver in silver. Eliseus worked and lived in The Hague and Rotterdam. Gerrit's daughter Josyanna Maria de Hooch married the painter Frederick Bernaerts, who lived and worked in The Hague. It is likely that Gerrit is related to the engraver

Cornelis de Hooghe Cornelis de Hooghe (1541, in The Hague – 1583, in The Hague) was a 16th-century engraver and mapmaker from the Northern Netherlands. Biography Cornelis de Hooghe, born in 1541 in The Hague (the Netherlands) as a bastard of Charles V, after this ...

, who claimed to be one of Emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infan ...

's bastard sons and was executed for conspiracy in 1583. One or two works by Gerrit the Hooch are known today, but their attribution is dubious. Relation to the famous painter

Pieter de Hooch Pieter de Hooch (, also spelled "Hoogh" or "Hooghe"; 20 December 1629 (baptized) – 24 March 1684 (buried)) was a Dutch Golden Age painter famous for his genre works of quiet domestic scenes with an open doorway. He was a contemporary of ...

or to the engraver

Romeyn de Hooghe Romeyn de Hooghe (bapt. 10 September 1645 – 10 June 1708) was a late Dutch Baroque painter, sculptor, engraver and caricaturist. Biography He was born in Amsterdam, and was a skilled etcher, draughtsman, painter, sculptor and medalis ...

are highly unlikely. Gerrit de Hooch was a friend of the painters

Caspar Netscher Caspar (or Gaspar) Netscher (1639 – January 15, 1684) was a Dutch portrait and genre painter. He was a master in depicting oriental rugs, silk and brocade and introduced an international style to the Northern Netherlands. Life According to ...

and

Melchior d'Hondecoeter Melchior d'Hondecoeter (; 1636 – 3 April 1695), Dutch animalier painter, was born in Utrecht and died in Amsterdam. After the start of his career, he painted virtually exclusively bird subjects, usually exotic or game, in park-like landscap ...

. The first one attended the baptism of a daughter Margaretha in 1676, named after Caspar's wife Margaretha Godijn. The latter signed Gerrit's last will. Gerrit rented a house that was owned by the painter

Nicolaas Willingh Nicolaas is the Dutch equivalent of the masculine given name Nicholas. Before the 19th century the name was also written Nicolaes, while Nikolaas is an uncommon variant spelling. Most people with the name use a short form in daily life, like ''Claa ...

and he testified against the painter

Pieter Plantijn Pieter is a male given name, the Dutch form of Peter. The name has been one of the most common names in the Netherlands for centuries, but since the mid-twentieth century its popularity has dropped steadily, from almost 3000 per year in 1947 to ...

, who had left his Irish wife. Gerrit owned some houses himself in The Hague but sold several of them, presumably because he was in constant debt.

References

Haagse Schilders in de Gouden Eeuw, , 1998 Uitgeverij Waanders, Zwolle.
Van Vader op Zoon, Vijf Eeuwen Kunstschilders, by J. Gestman Geradts, 2006, La Serre Studio. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hooch, Gerrit de 1630s births 1679 deaths Dutch Golden Age painters Dutch male painters Artists from The Hague