(Gafpard), an eminent painter, born at Prague in Bohemia in 1639. His father dying while he was an engineer in the Polish service, his mother was obliged, on account of her religion, suddenly to leave Prague with her three sons. When she had proceeded three leagues, she stopped at a castle; which being soon after besieged, two of her sons were starved to death; but she herself found means to escape out of the fortresses by night, and to save her only remaining child. Carrying him in her arms, she reached Amheim in Guelderland, where she found means to support herself, and breed up her son. At length a doctor of physic took young Netscher into his patronage, with the view of giving him an education proper for a physician: but Netscher's genius leading him to painting, he could not forbear scrawling out designs upon the paper on which he wrote his themes; and it being found impossible to conquer his fondness for drawing, he was sent to a glazier, who was the only person in the town that understood drawing. Netscher soon finding himself above receiving any farther assistance from his master, was sent to Deventer, to a painter named Terburg, who was an able artist and burgomaster of the town; and having acquired under him a great command of his pencil, went to Holland, where he worked a long time for the dealers in pictures, who paid him very little for his pieces, which they sold at a high price. Disgusted at this ungenerous treatment, he resolved to go to Rome; and for that purpose embarked on board a vessel bound for Bordeaux. But his marrying in that city prevented his travelling into Italy; and therefore, returning into Holland, he settled at the Hague; where observing that portrait-painting was the most profitable, he applied himself solely to it, and acquired such reputation, that there is not a considerable family in Holland that has not some of his portraits; and besides, the greatest part of the foreign ministers could not think of quitting Holland without carrying with them one of Netscher's portraits, whence they are to be seen all over Europe. He died at the Hague, in 1684; leaving two sons, No. 243.

Theodore and Constantine Netscher, both of them Nettigo good portrait-painters.