Hermann Van, usually called "the Hermit of Italy," was a Dutch painter of distinction, and was born at Woerden about 1620. He is said to have been originally the pupil of Gerard Dow, and subsequently of Claude Lorraine, but there is no evidence of this beyond the most slender tradition. This artist went early to Italy, and spent his life in painting the delightful landscapes of that country. He was distinguished by the warmth and tenderness of his tints, and by the fine gradation of his aerial perspective. Many of his landscapes are exquisitely embellished with ruins, cattle, and figures, admirably grouped. His pictures are now exceedingly scarce. His death is said to have occurred in 1680, but many writers place it ten years later.