A tribute to Carel Fabritius, painter of “The Goldfinch”

On the morning of October 12th 1654, the Dutch city of Delft was ravaged. A cache of munitions had been carelessly stored; a spark was ignited. The explosion razed the city centre to the ground. Whole streets were destroyed. Some speculated the day of God’s judgment had arrived.

Among the victims that day was Carel Fabritius (pictured), a 32-year-old painter. He was an obscure and tragic figure: unlike his neighbours Vermeer and Rembrandt, acclaim for his art during his lifetime was non-existent. He left barely a dozen works behind.