Lovers Lit by a Candle

Schalcken was a pupil of Samuel van Hoogstraten and subsequently of Gerrit Dou in Leiden. He initially painted in the meticulous and precise technique of his teacher Dou, a ‘Fijnschilder’ (meaning ‘fine painter’). Schalcken later abandoned fine painting, but continued to be captivated by Dou’s treatment of artificial light.