A woman playing the lute and a man listening

Eglon Hendrick van der Neer, a Dutch painter born around 1635 or 1636, carved a niche for himself in the art world with his diverse oeuvre that included portraits, genre scenes, and later, romanticized landscapes. His artistic journey began under the guidance of his father, Aert van der Neer, a renowned landscape painter, and possibly continued with Jacob van Loo, a prominent figure painter in Amsterdam. Van der Neer's early career took him to Orange, France, where he served under the governor Friedrich von Dohna, enriching his artistic perspective before returning to Amsterdam. In 1659, van der Neer married Maria Wagensvelt in Rotterdam, marking the beginning of a prolific period in his life and career. The couple's first son, Aert, named after his grandfather, was baptized in 1660, and would later follow in his father's artistic footsteps. The family's move to Rotterdam in the mid-1660s saw van der Neer taking on Adriaen van der Werff as his pupil, a relationship that lasted five and a half years and highlighted van der Neer's influence on the next generation of artists. His work, characterized by the stylistic influences of Caspar Netscher and Gabriël Metsu, evolved over time to include historical, mythological, and religious themes, alongside the romantic landscapes that echoed his father's legacy. Van der Neer passed away in Düsseldorf on May 3, 1703, leaving behind a body of work that reflects the richness of Dutch Golden Age painting.