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Willem Drost

Early Days: Willem Drost (Apr 19, 1633, Amsterdam - buried Feb 25, 1659, Venice) was a Dutch Baroque painter and printmaker of history paintings and portraits. He is a mysterious figure, closely associated with Rembrandt, with very few paintings clearly attributable to him. He was presumably born in what was then known as the United Provinces of the Netherlands, wbut when and where is unknown. Around 1650, according to Houbraken, he became a student of Rembrandt, eventually developing a close working relationship, painting history scenes, biblical compositions, symbolic studies of a solitary figure, as well as portraits. As a student, his 1654 painting titled Bathsheba was inspired by Rembrandt's painting done in the same year on the same subject and given the same title, though their treatments are rather different; both Drost’s and Rembrandt’s paintings are in the Louvre in Paris.

Career:

Willem Drost's recognized lifetime output of artwork is very small, while Rembrandt is credited with more than 2,000 paintings and etchings, the majority of which are not signed. In recent years, some paintings attributed to Rembrandt have had their authenticity come under question. The importance of these Rembrandt works is such that the Foundation Rembrandt Research Project was established in Amsterdam to review the attribution of all of his works. Scholars have now reattributed a number of Rembrandt's paintings to his pupils and associates.
Drost was one of Rembrandt's most talented disciples, so much so that his 1654 painting titled: Portrait of a Young Woman with her Hands Folded on a Book was one of the ones attributed to Rembrandt for more than 300 years. As well, when the portrait of a young man on horseback titled The Polish Rider was discovered in 1897 it too was attributed to Rembrandt. Acquired by New York City’s Frick Collection, The Polish Rider is one of the Frick Museum's most valued treasures. However, years ago, the painting's authenticity was questioned by several scholars, led by the renowned expert Julius Held.

Many others, including Dr. Josua Bruyn of the Foundation Rembrandt Research Project, now believe this great painting may also be that of Willem Drost as may be several others. These attributions remain controversial, but a reattribution of a group of "Rembrandt" drawings to Drost is more widely accepted.