Adriaan de Lelie

Adriaan de Lelie was an artist documented as being actively engaged in painting from 1780 through 1814. Operating in the transitional period between the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, his known body of work consists primarily of portraiture and detailed interior genre scenes that document contemporary cultural life and elite collecting habits.

Ten paintings by De Lelie are represented in museum collections, confirming the artist's historical significance. A central portion of his output includes detailed depictions of notable private and public spaces, providing invaluable visual records of the period. Key examples of his work include The Art Gallery of Josephus Augustinus Brentano and The Art Gallery of Jan Gildemeester Jansz, which capture the arrangement and atmosphere of prominent private collections.

Beyond documenting private collections, De Lelie also captured institutional settings, such as The Drawing Gallery of the Felix Meritis Society, alongside more intimate genre pieces like Morgenbezoek. Individual portrait commissions are also represented in his catalog, including the Portrait of Jan Nieuwenhuyzen.

The enduring quality of his historical documentation ensures that Adriaan de Lelie paintings hold a museum-quality designation. These works are currently preserved in major institutions, notably the Rijksmuseum. Many historical images of this era are now entering the public domain, making high-quality prints and downloadable artwork available for research and viewing.