Willem Stad 1873-1953 after Rembrandt

Willem Stad was a Dutch painter born in Nieuwer-Amstel on 12 August 1873 and active principally in Amsterdam, where he died in 1959. He is best known for fabulous copies and reconstructions after Dutch Old Masters, particularly works by Rembrandt and Johannes Vermeer, as well as for Amsterdam topographical views. Stad's practice reflects the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Dutch fascination with the Old Masters. He worked directly from museum examples and reproduced their compositions in oil, while also making watercolours and drawings of Amsterdam subjects. His copies after Rembrandt are characterised by close attention to tonal structure, restrained colour and the strong light-and-shadow contrasts associated with seventeenth-century Dutch painting. A signed copy of Rembrandt's Prophetess Anna, after the 1631 original, exemplifies this approach. Records also show Pray before dinner by Nicolaes Maes and The Street of Johannes Vermeer ( sold Christie's Amsterdam )A documented 1917 copy after Simon Dubois's portrait of Emerentia van Citters similarly demonstrates his interest in historical portraiture.

Stad also recorded the changing appearance of Amsterdam in works such as views of the Dam, Rokin, Binnenamstel and Nieuwezijds Kapel. Exhibition records show him working in Amsterdam at 1e Helmersstraat 140 and exhibiting both studies and city subjects.

What distinguishes Stad is therefore the combination of historical reconstruction and topographical observation. His copies should not be confused with Old Master originals: museum records identify the seventeenth-century prototypes independently, while Stad's own works are signed by himself