Adriaen van der Werff

Happy Birthday Adriaen van der Werff!! Born in 1659, Dutch painter Adriaen van der Werff was a portrait painter and painter of mythological and religious scenes. He was a pupil of his brother Pieter and also studied at age twelve with Elgon van der Neer, focusing on clothing and drapery. He established his own studio in Rotterdam and eventually became the official court painter. Unfortunately his work went out of favor with the Victorian Age and most of his art was relegated to the Alte Pinakothek (Old Pinakothek) a museum in Munich, Germany, housing many works by the old masters. The self-portrait included here was painted in 1697 and features spectacular handling of the fabric on his tunic.