Dancing Lady with Guitar

Adriaen Pietersz. van de Venne (Dutch, 1589-1662) was born in Delft after his parents moved from Southern Netherlands due to a religious strife. He was a student at Delft University but ultimately chose to apprentice for Jeronymus van Diest and Simon de Valck. Van de Venne's work was not limited to painting but book illustrations, poetry and political propoganda. After joining the artists guild when he moved to The Hague in 1625, Van de Venne helped found the Pictura society, which gave him the means to publish his illustrations in literary works.