Gerard de LairesseDutch, 1641–1711Visitation
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Visitation” now? Collection: Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Cambridge, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
Details
- Accession number
- M19844
In the catalog
Sources
- Harvard Art Museums
- Image: Harvard Art Museums — © President and Fellows of Harvard College
In the life of Gerard de Lairesse
The whole lifeSeptember 1641
Born
1664
Flight from Liège and Marriage to Marie Salme
He fled Liège after an affair with two sisters, his models, ended in scandal. He headed north with Marie Salme and married her in Visé; the couple settled in Utrecht, where a son was baptized in April 1665.
1667
Move to Amsterdam
When the art dealer Gerrit van Uylenburgh discovered Gerard's talent, the artist moved to Amsterdam. He arrived with a violin, and his playing impressed Jan van Pee at Uylenburgh's studio.
1676–1683
Paintings for Soestdijk Palace
He painted pictures for the decoration of Soestdijk Palace; in this period he also created stage sets for the theater and drawings for the theatrical works of Andries Pels and the collector Gerrit Reynst.
by 1690
Total Blindness and the End of His Painting Career
Suffering from hereditary syphilis, he had gone completely blind by 1690 and was forced to give up painting. He concentrated on twice-weekly lectures at his home, gathering many pupils and followers; his son Johannes took notes of the lectures.
1701
Foundations of Drawing (Grondlegginge ter teekenkonst)
Based on the lecture notes, the book Foundations of Drawing was published, becoming a kind of manifesto of Dutch academicism.
