A reconstruction of his life and work based on archival sources, testimonies from contemporaries, and his letters

The story of one of the most celebrated painters of the Northern Netherlands
Because of his unconventional, un-Dutch style, Gerard van Honthorst has to this day remained relatively overlooked. This is unjustified, for until 1650 Van Honthorst was one of the most successful and influential painters of the Northern Netherlands.

This book tells the story of Van Honthorst: his youth as the eldest child in the family, his training in Utrecht, and how, as a young adult, he set out on an adventure to Italy and came to live in Rome, where he spent perhaps the most successful and happiest years of his life. It describes how he returned to his homeland, started a family, and managed to reinvent himself. It recounts his success beyond the national borders, and how he embarked on a second career path in The Hague that brought him prosperity and social standing.

The World of Gerard van Honthorst describes his quest on the basis of a wealth of new insights into his career, his oeuvre, and the various artistic and cultural environments in which he worked.