# Man Writing a Letter

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***Man Writing a Letter*** is an [oil painting](/source/Oil_painting) on a wood panel Dutch painter [Gabriël Metsu](/source/Gabri%C3%ABl_Metsu) made at the height of his career. It is assumed to be a pair with *[Woman Reading a Letter](/source/Woman_Reading_a_Letter_(Metsu))*. The two [genre paintings](/source/Genre_painting) (together with *[The Sick Child](/source/The_Sick_Child_(Metsu))*) are regarded as Metsu's artistic climax. Since 1987 they can be seen in the collection of the [National Gallery of Ireland](/source/National_Gallery_of_Ireland) in Dublin.

## Description

The painting shows a young man sitting in front of an open window, writing a letter with a [quill pen](/source/Quill_pen). He is dressed in a black silk suit with a white linen shirt underneath. The [Persian rug](/source/Persian_rug) and silver [writing set](/source/Writing_set) on the table also show his wealth. The [globe](/source/Globe) in the corner indicates his interest, as if he is a merchant or scientist. A pastoral landscape by [Jacob van der Does](/source/Jacob_van_der_Does) the Elder is hanging on the wall; on top of the gilded frame, a dove is carved. The [Delftware](/source/Delftware) tiles on the [baseboard](/source/Baseboard) show birds.[1][2]

*Man Writing a Letter* is a companion piece to *[Woman Reading a Letter](/source/Woman_Reading_a_Letter_(Metsu))*, in which the woman has received the young man's letter and is reading it intently. Metsu likely got the idea for a pair of themed paintings from [Gerard ter Borch](/source/Gerard_ter_Borch), who had painted a similar pair: *[An Officer Writing a Letter](/source/Officer_Writing_a_Letter,_with_a_Trumpeter_and_a_Dog)* and *[Woman Sealing a Letter with a Maidservant](/source/Woman_sealing_a_letter)*.[3] [Johannes Vermeer](/source/Johannes_Vermeer)'s influence is also reflected in the painting, such as the light from the left and the marble floor.[4][5][6]

## History

Records indicate the paintings have always been owned as a pair. The paintings were owned by [Hendrick Sorgh](/source/Hendrick_Sorgh), an art collector in Amsterdam.[7] After his death they were sold for 560 [guilders](/source/Dutch_guilder) on 28 March 1720 to George Bruyn.[8] When this [underwriter](/source/Underwriter)[9] died they were sold on 16 March 1724 for 785 guilders to Johannes Coop, a wealthy cotton printer and dyer. Circa 1744,[10] and for 500 guilders, they came into the possession of [Gerrit Braamcamp](/source/Gerrit_Braamcamp), a collector who owned no fewer than ten works by Metsu. His heirs benefited from the artist's popularity;[11] on 31 July 1771 the two paintings were bought for 5,205 guilders by [Jan Hope](/source/Jan_Hope). They would descend to [Lord Francis Pelham Clinton Hope](/source/Francis_Pelham-Clinton-Hope,_8th_Duke_of_Newcastle), who sold them in 1898 as part of a [collection of Dutch and Flemish paintings](/source/Hope_Collection_of_Pictures) that was purchased by the art dealers A. Wertheimer and [P. & D. Colnaghi](/source/P._%26_D._Colnaghi_%26_Co.). In 1900 the pair of paintings were bought by [Alfred Beit](/source/Alfred_Beit), inherited by his brother [Otto Beit](/source/Otto_Beit) (1906) and his son [Sir Alfred Beit](/source/Sir_Alfred_Beit,_2nd_Baronet) (1930).[12] Both were among artworks stolen from [Russborough House](/source/Russborough_House) in 1974 and again in 1986. In 1987 both paintings were donated to the National Gallery of Ireland, before eventually being recovered in 1993.[13]

## Reception

The pair of paintings are commonly regarded as some of Metsu's best works. Reviewing an exhibition of works by Metsu in *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)* in 2011, Karen Rosenberg called them "stunning",[14] and [Susan Stamberg](/source/Susan_Stamberg) of [NPR](/source/NPR) dubbed *Man Writing a Letter* "one of his most important crowd pleasers" and described the pair as "gorgeously painted with fabulous technique and meticulously rendered details".[6]

## References

1. Peter C. Sutton, Lisa Vergara, Ann Jensen Adams, [*Love Letters: Dutch Genre Paintings in the Age of Vermeer*](https://archive.org/details/lovelettersdutch0000sutt/page/130/mode/2up), London: Frances Lincoln Limited, 2003, p. 131.

1. Sara Donaldson, *National Gallery of Ireland, Companion Guide*, London, 2009, p. 26.

1. Peter C. Sutton, Lisa Vergara, Ann Jensen Adams, [*Love Letters: Dutch Genre Paintings in the Age of Vermeer*](https://archive.org/details/lovelettersdutch0000sutt/page/130/mode/2up), London: Frances Lincoln Limited, 2003, pp. 58, 96.

1. Adriaan E. Waiboer, *Gabriel Metsu (1629–1667): Life and Work*, PhD dissertation, New York University, School of Fine Arts, 2007: ProQuest, [pp. 225–30](https://books.google.com/books?id=KEetWzl3j3YC&pg=PA225).

1. ["Curator in the spotlight: Adriaan E. Waiboer, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin"](http://www.codart.com/522/), Codart, retrieved September 12, 2014.

1. [Susan Stamberg](/source/Susan_Stamberg), ["Gabriel Metsu: The Dutch Master You Don't Know"](https://www.npr.org/2011/05/18/135581514/gabriel-metsu-the-dutch-master-you-dont-know), *[Morning Edition](/source/Morning_Edition)*, [NPR](/source/NPR), May 18, 2011.

1. Sorgh also owned [The Astronomer (Vermeer)](/source/The_Astronomer_(Vermeer)), [The Geographer](/source/The_Geographer)

1. A. Waiboer (2012) *Gabriel Metsu. Life and Work. A Catalogue Raisonné*, p. 255. Yale University press. New Haven and London.

1. ["Stichting familiearchief De Clercq"](https://web.archive.org/web/20190506160539/http://www.familiedeclercq.nl/nl/genealogie/familiewapen/mede-gebracht.html). Archived from [the original](http://www.familiedeclercq.nl/nl/genealogie/familiewapen/mede-gebracht.html) on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2014.

1. A. Waiboer (2012), p. 256.

1. A. Waiboer (2007) [pp. 13-14](https://books.google.com/books?id=KEetWzl3j3YC&pg=PA14).

1. "Provenance", *Man Writing a Letter* and *Woman Reading a Letter*, [National Gallery of Ireland](/source/National_Gallery_of_Ireland) [online collection](http://onlinecollection.nationalgallery.ie/objects/8708/man-writing-a-letter), retrieved September 11, 2014.

1. Riding, Alan (16 September 1993). ["Paintings by Vermeer and Goya Are Recovered 7 Years After Theft"](http://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/16/arts/paintings-by-vermeer-and-goya-are-recovered-7-years-after-theft.html). *NYTimes*. [Archived](https://archive.today/20130630012849/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/16/arts/paintings-by-vermeer-and-goya-are-recovered-7-years-after-theft.html) 30 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine.

1. Karen Rosenberg, ["Inspiring Comparisons with Vermeer"](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/29/arts/design/gabriel-metsu-1629-1667-at-national-gallery-review.html?_r=0), *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*, April 28, 2011.

## External links

- [Man Writing a Letter](http://onlinecollection.nationalgallery.ie/objects/8708/man-writing-a-letter) at the National Gallery of Ireland

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Man Writing a Letter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_Writing_a_Letter) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_Writing_a_Letter?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.