This Masterpiece by Rembrandt's Star Pupil Has a New Owner

"This exquisite painting displays how Drost, like his teacher, could capture a sitter's distinct individuality with inner life and contemplative potency. [The painting] shows Drost's own unique sensibility, evident in his carefully modulated brushwork and striking use of color."

"Though less well known that some of Rembrandt's other pupils, such as Ferdinand Bol and Carel Fabritius, Drost's reputation has risen in recent decades on the back of scholarship acknowledging the range and depth of his painting. Part of this oversight has been down to the Amsterdam-born painter's tragic biography: he died of pneumonia in Venice in 1659 at the age of 25."

Willem Drost's Man With a Plumed Red Beret, painted in 1654, has been acquired by the Leiden Collection following its sale at TEFAF Maastricht through Agnews Gallery. The work depicts a bearded man with an intense expression and demonstrates Drost's mastery of capturing individual character and inner life, influenced by his teacher Rembrandt. Though less renowned than other Rembrandt pupils like Ferdinand Bol and Carel Fabritius, Drost's reputation has significantly risen through recent scholarship recognizing the depth and range of his work. The Amsterdam-born painter died of pneumonia in Venice at age 25 in 1659, limiting his output. The Leiden Collection, founded in 2003 and focused on 17th-century Dutch painting, considers this acquisition a capstone piece for its encyclopedic collection.

Read at Artnet News