MOOR, Carel de II

De Moor’s genre pictures partake of Leiden traditions, though not exclusively those of the fijnschilders. However, his Angler of about 1700 is virtually unique among his limited number of genre works and, indeed, among seventeenth-century Dutch genre paintings in general. In a bucolic setting, a barefoot youth reclining beside a pond or canal gazes at his fishing line whilst observed by a milkmaid - identifiable as such by her attire — and her pipe-smoking companion who lean upon a rough-hewn rail. De Moor’s relatively precise application of paint enhances the physical refinement of the protagonists who exhibit porcelain-like skin and, in the case of the fisherboy, an aquiline nose. His urchin’s tattered garments and rustic hat seem incongruous with his smooth, pure form almost as if he were an actor donning a costume for a stage production set in the country.

The painting depicts a peasant woman in an interior holding a glass of beer and jug.

This painting, showing a gentleman, three-quarter length in a park, is a typical example of the elegant portraiture of Carel de Moor. It was almost certainly one half of a pair of portrait pendants, which may have been painted in order to celebrate a marriage, as the work contains symbols and references to love (statue of Eros, roses in full bloom). The pendant has not been identified.