Quirin van Brekelenkam

Quirin van Brekelenkam was born probably in Zwammerdam shortly after 1622, 5 the son of Gerrit Andersz de Plutter and his wife Magdelena Crijnendr. It is not known when the artist adopted the surname "Brekelenkam." He was one of the founding members of the Leiden Guild of St. Luke in 1648. He was also married in that year, and again in 1656, following the death of his first wife. Documentary evidence suggests that the artist was not well off financially, and he was sued several times for failure to pay his debts. His last dated painting is from 1668, and it is believed that he died in this year or shortly after. Brekelenkam is perhaps best known for his genre scenes of artisans' workshops and domestic interiors. Stylistically, his early paintings (from 1648 on) are linked to the meticulous "fijnschilder" technique of Gerrit Dou (1613-1675); later works from the 1660s exhibit a looser, freer brushwork that is closer to the work of Gabriel Metsu (1629-1667) or Gerard ter Borch (1617-1681).