Samuel van Hoogstraten

Samuel van Hoogstraten (1627-1678)

The painter and etcher Samuel van Hoogstraten was born in Dordrecht in 1627. In 1642 he became a pupil of Rembrandt's. His biblical scenes are particularly reminiscent of his master's style. Other paintings by Van Hoogstraten are closer to the work of Pieter de Hooch. Van Hoogstraten painted all kinds of subjects. Particular favourites are his tromp l'oeils. He travelled to Germany and Italy in 1651. In Rome he joined the Bent, an artists' club, where he was known as 'Batavier'. He also stayed at the court in Vienna for a while. In 1655 Van Hoogstraten was back in Dordrecht. Between 1661 and 1666 he lived in London, from where he moved to The Hague and later Dordrecht again. He died there, in his native city.