Salomon Koninck

The Hermit

“The Hermit”
Oil on canvas, not signed
Anonymous copyist of a painting by Salomon Koninck
The painting is a copy done by an unknown artist of a painting by Saloman Koninck. Netherlands, (1609-1656). It was given to the Des Moines Women’s Club in 1947 by Mrs. J. G. Berryhill.
The painting is an often-copied picture by a Dutch artist who was himself a noted copyist. Koninck was born in Amsterdam the same year as Rembrandt and was part of the large circle of artists around the master. Koninck often copies paintings by Rembrandt, but The Hermit is regarded as Koninck’s own design – though it is obviously modeled after Rembrandt’s style and subjects. In style, Rembrandt established a tradition that endures into contemporary times that is characterized as generally golden tonality with lighted areas fading back into moody shadows. In subject, the figures are often shown at study (as here in the Hermit) or lost in thought with contemplative aura. The original of The Hermit is in the Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister (Gallery of Old Master Paintings) in Dresden, Germany.