Marcellus Laroon II: A London Drapery and Cry of the City Marcellus Laroon, a name perhaps less familiar than those of his contemporaries Rembrandt or Van Dyck, nevertheless holds a significant place in 17th-century English art. Born in The Hague around 1653, he arrived in London as a young man, bringing with him the artistic sensibilities of his Dutch heritage and quickly establishing himself as a skilled painter and engraver deeply attuned to the vibrant, often gritty, realities of urban life. His legacy rests primarily on his evocative depictions of drapery – an area where he achieved unp…