Cornelis Dusart

Cornelis Dusart was born in Haarlem, where he eventually became a painter, printmaker and art dealer. His father, Jan Dusart, was the principal organist at the Saint Bavo Church in the city. Cornelis Dusart studied with the famous Haarlem painter Adriaen van Ostade (1610-1685).

Dusart joined the Saint Luke Guild on 10 January 1679. He was known for his genre pieces, most notably his renditions of peasants in the manner of his teacher, Adriaen van Ostade. After the death of Van Ostade, Dusart took over the contents of his studio. He reworked and sold drawings produced by Van Ostade and his brother Isaac van Ostade. His style mirrored that of his teacher to such an extent that some of Van Ostade’s paintings have been occasionally attributed to Cornelis Dusart. While working as an artist, he was also active as an art dealer. He collected mainly Dutch and Italian paintings. He also owned drawings and prints by Adriaen Brouwer, Jan Steen, in addition to works by his former teacher and his brother Isaac.

Dusart never married. His sister Maria married the Haarlem painter Jan Johannesz. Vermeer (1656-1705).

Cornelis Dusart died in Haarlem, leaving behind an impressive collection. The painting Jeune femme se coiffant, by fellow Haarlem artist Salomon de Bray (1597-1664), was part of his posthumous inventory. Adolphe Schloss acquired the painting, which the Germans labelled as “Schloss 22” after they had seized the Schloss Collection in April 1943. The picture was restituted in 1946; the Musée du Louvre acquired it in 1995.

Literature and a link: Anderson, Susan. “The library of Cornelis Dusart: between artist and gentleman”. _Oud Holland – Quarterly for Dutch Art History, _vol. 123, nr. 2, 2010, pp. 133-165. Bredius, Abraham. Künstler-Inventare: Urkunden zur Geschichte der holländischen Kunst des XVIten, XVIIten und XVIIIten Jahrhunderts. Nijhof, vol. 1. 1915, pp. 27-73; vol. 7. 1921, pp. 51-55 [about:blank https://rkd.nl/nl/explore/artists/record?query=cornelis+dusart&start=0] Accessed on 4 June 2021.