Gabriel, or Govert van der Leeuw (1645–1688), was a

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands which roughly lasted from 1588, when the Dutch Republic was established, to 1672, when the '' Rampjaar'' occurred. During this period, Dutch trade, scientific development ...

landscape painter.

Biography

He was the brother of Pieter van der Leeuw, and they learned to paint from their father, the painter

Bastiaan Govertsz van der Leeuw Bastiaan Govertsz van der Leeuw (11 January 1624 – 20 December 1680]) was a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter. According to Houbraken he was the father of Govert van der Leeuw.Jacob Gerritsz Cuyp.Gabriel van der Leeuw biography
in ''De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen'' (1718) by

Arnold Houbraken Arnold Houbraken (28 March 1660 – 14 October 1719) was a Dutch people, Dutch Painting, painter and writer from Dordrecht, now remembered mainly as a biographer of Dutch Golden Age painters. Life Houbraken was sent first to learn ''threadt ...

, courtesy of the Digital library for Dutch literature As a young man he traveled to Amsterdam, where he married the sister of

David van der Plas David van der Plas (11 December 1647 – 18 May 1704), was a Dutch Golden Age portrait painter. Biography David van der Plas became famous as a portrait painter, and his most illustrious patron was Cornelis Tromp.

. He then set off on a 14-year journey, spending 4 years in Paris and Lyons, 2 years at the Court of Savoy in Turin, a year in Rome, and 7 years in Naples, before returning to Amsterdam. He painted landscapes in the manner of Johann Heinrich Roos and

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (baptized 23 March 16095 May 1664) was an Italian Baroque painter, printmaker and draftsman, of the Genoese school (painting), Genoese school. He is best known now for his etchings, and as the inventor of the printm ...

. He was planning another journey south, and had stopped to see his mother in Dordrecht on the way, when he unexpectedly died. According to the

RKD The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: ), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center in the world. The center specializes in document ...

, he was registered in the Amsterdam workshop of his cousin, the painter Nicolaes Pietersz. Berchem in 1651, and in 1672, he attended the funeral of his nephew, Nicolaes Berchem II, in Paris.Govert van der Leeuw
in the

He was influenced not only by Roos and Castiglione, but also by Pieter Mulier II and

Luca Giordano Luca Giordano (18 October 1634 – 3 January 1705) was an Italian late-Baroque painter and printmaker in etching. Fluent and decorative, he worked successfully in Naples, Rome, Florence, and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain. Early l ...

. He signed his works 'gvd leeu' or in Italy, 'G De Leone'. The RKD claims he married in 1684, not before he started his journey, as Houbraken claimed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leeuw, Govert Van Der 1645 births 1688 deaths Dutch Golden Age painters Dutch male painters Painters from Dordrecht