"The oil painting depicts a flautist seated and playing his instrument while gazing out directly at the viewer-a hallmark of Dou's oeuvre that set him apart from his contemporaries. The sitter is surrounded by a number of worldly possessions, including a globe, books (one of which is open in front of him), an hourglass, and a violin, among other items."
"For his part, Dou was a student of Rembrandt's who became one of the most successful Dutch artists of his time, with such patrons as Cosimo III de' Medici, Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, and the Dutch States General. The Flute Player has been in an English collection for the last 125 years, once belonging to William Proby, Fifth Earl of Carysfort (1836-1909) at Elton Hall and passing through a line of descents."
"Gerrit Dou: The Flute Player, ca. 1636, oil on panel, 14 1⁄8 x 11 ½ inches.Courtesy Christie's The work, one of the few produced by Dou, carries a pre-sale estimate of £2 million to £3 million ($2.6 million-$4 million). That estimate puts it around half of Dou's auction record, set in 2023 when A young woman holding a hare with a boy at a window brought in $7.1 million at Christie's against a a $3 million-$5 million estimate."
Gerrit Dou's The Flute Player (ca. 1636) leads Christie's Old Masters Evening Sale in London on December 2 with a pre-sale estimate of £2–3 million. The small oil on panel shows a flautist seated and playing while gazing at the viewer, surrounded by a globe, books, an hourglass, a violin and other objects that function as vanitas symbols. Dou trained with Rembrandt and attracted prominent patrons including Cosimo III de' Medici and Archduke Leopold Wilhelm. The painting has remained in an English collection for 125 years, descended from William Proby, Fifth Earl of Carysfort.
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