Gerrit Dou was one of the most highly esteemed Dutch painters of the 17th century, celebrated for the illusionistic images he created with his fine and delicate technique. Rembrandt’s first pupil, Dou was lauded at an early age by his contemporaries as a model for other painters. By the mid-19th century, however, Dou’s reputation had fallen into eclipse, and his works appeared only rarely, if at all, in exhibitions of Dutch art. This book, which accompanied the first international exhibition devoted exclusively to Dou’s works, provides an extraordinary opportunity to reassess the artist’s achievements. The catalog assembles 35 of Dou’s paintings spanning his career and includes essays on Dou’s artistic reputation, life, subject matter, and painting technique. Entries trace the provenance and exhibition history of each painting and analyze the style and themes of these exquisite works.