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 combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...

landscapes, who lived and worked in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

, Dutch Repbublic. 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 as an uncle and tutor. Gerrit himself is related to the portrait painter

Dirck Cornelis de Hooch Dirk Cornelis de Hooch (1613–1651) was a 17th-century Dutch portrait painter, who lived and worked in The Hague (the Netherlands). Born in 1613 at The Hague, he was a son of a Dutch bailiff, Cornelis de Hooch and his wife Jannetje Dirx van ...

, who was his father's brother. Gerrit's son

Eliseus de Hooch Elisha was, according to the Hebrew Bible, a Jewish prophet and a wonder-worker. His name is commonly transliterated into English as Elisha via Hebrew, Eliseus via Greek and Latin, Ełishe (Yeghishe/Elisha) via Armenian or Alyasa via Arabic, a ...

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. Family background Cornelis de Hooghe, born in 1541 in The Hague (the Netherlands) as a bastard of Charles V, af ...

, who claimed to be one of Emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * 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 Others * Charles V, Duke ...

'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 Hendricksz. de Hooch (; also spelled ''Hoogh'' or ''Hooghe''; 20 December 1629 – after 1683), was a Dutch Golden Age painter famous for his genre works of quiet domestic scenes with an open doorway. He was a contemporary, in the ...

or to the engraver Romeyn de Hooghe 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 Arn ...

and

Melchior d'Hondecoeter Melchior is the name traditionally given to one of the biblical Magi appearing in the Gospel of Matthew. There are many notable people with this name, or close variations. As a first name * Melchior Anderegg (1828–1914), Swiss mountain guide ...

. 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 Painters from The Hague