Gabriel Metsu

One of the most remarkable painters of the Dutch seventeenth century, Gabriel Metsu (1629-1667), will be the subject of the National Gallery of Ireland's major autumn presentation. Metsu died at the age of 37, having painted a large number of exquisite scenes of daily life that rank among the finest of the Dutch Golden Age. Metsu was a contemporary of Vermeer, and although Metsu worked in Leiden and Vermeer in Delft, both shared an admiration for one another's work.

For three months, until December 5th, the National Gallery of Ireland will have on display the works of seventeenth-century painter Gabriel Metsu. Metsu is one of the lesser known - but no less important - figures of the Dutch Golden Age, plying his trade at around the same time as the likes of Gerard ter Borch, Gerrit Dou (believed by some to have taught Metsu) and of course, that glitzy superstar of Dutch art, Johannes Vermeer.

Comparisons to his more famous contemporary cannot be avoided: like Vermeer, who died at 43, Metsu passed away long before his time, aged just 37. Luckily for us though, he made up for it by taking to the canvas early - Metsu was recorded as a professional painter at age 14, an age at which Damien Hirst was still failing his art GCSE. Perhaps because of this - or perhaps simply due to his unnatural talent - Metsu left behind one of the most impressive bodies of work of the Golden Age.

Regular visitors to the National Gallery will already recognise a couple of these: the acclaimed A Man Writing a Letter and it's accompanying A Woman Reading A Letter. Two of Metsu's best known works, their photographic level of detail and glowing, three-dimensional finish make Avatar look flatter than the Dutch countryside Metsu was raised in. Paintings like these have become a rare sight to behold these days; and they haven't grown any less captivating in the hundreds of years since they were painted.

The rest of the exhibition is made up of loans from public and private collections the world-over: many of the forty works on show are usually inaccessible to the public. One cannot help but wonder if Metsu would be better known were his works always on display like this, rather than hidden away in vaults and private estates. Perhaps he too would have a Hollywood biopic out, starring Scarlett Johansson, like his contemporary Vermeer. But such is art history. Either way, the National Gallery provides us with a rare and enchanting insight into the oeuvre of one of Holland's unsung heroes.

Words Rosalind Abbott

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