Monogrammist A.W.

This mysterious painter left initials only, signing works “A.W.” in the 1670s. Rumor says he moonlit as a hatter by day and slipped into Amsterdam’s taverns at night, sketching strangers’ faces on tankards. He’s best known for portraits that feel like overheard gossip—half flattery, half truth—so try *Portrait of a Man with a Gloved Hand* (1676) in the Rijksmuseum’s online gallery; zoom in and you can practically smell the pipe tobacco.