Barent Gael

BARENT GAEL (Haarlem, 1630 - 1698)
"Peasant party".
Oil on panel.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 35 x 41 cm; 50 x 55 cm (frame).

Gael was born in Haarlem.He was a pupil of Philips Wouwerman, who painted numerous scenes of battles and scenographies (in Dutch: pleisterplaatsen). He was in the habit of working at his own pace, at the risk of offending his clients. Houbraken recounts an occasion when a client came to his house to see a work and Gael claimed that he was "not at home". The client was so offended that when Gael handed him the finished painting, he told him that he was now "not at home" and refused to pay him. He painted Italianate landscapes and was a prominent figure in the Guild of St. Luke in Haarlem around 1642. His last known dated painting dates from 1679, but his works are rarely dated. He is listed as deceased in a list of guild members drawn up by Laurens, son of Vincent van der Vinne, in 1702. He moved from Haarlem to Amsterdam between 1661 and 1673, where he resided until his death.