Charles Cornelisz. de Hooch (c.1600 – 2 July 1638), was a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter and etcher. Biography He became known as Karel de Hooge from being listed in Samuel Ampzing's lof der Haerlem as a painter of ruins, along with Pieter Molyn, Jacob Pinas and Salomon de Bray, who was born in 1597. He is best known today for his so-called grotto paintings. Grotto painting as an independent genre was probably initiated by a group of followers of Cornelis van Poelenburch, which included De Hooch along with Abraham van Cuylenborch and Dirck Stoop. His contemporaries in landscape painting included Esaias and Jan van de Velde, Pieter Dircksz Santvoort, Pieter Molyn and Salomon Ruysdael. Charles was probably born in Haarlem, since Ampzing included him, but this is not totally certain. It is accepted that he lived in Haarlem up until 1628, the year of publication of Ampzing's book. Ampzing wrote a whole verse of poetry about him: (And would I hereby deem de Hooch worthy) (of enhancing his dignity with praise?) (Do you want to see ruins, true to life?) (You recognize his mastery and refinement.) After his Haarlem period he moved to Utrecht, where he died 2 July 1638 leaving underage children. His life can thus be divided in his Haarlem period (from birth up until at least 1628) and his Utrecht period (From 1628 up until his death in 1638). In Utrecht he belonged to a group of painters that included Bartholomeus Breenbergh, Abraham van Cuylenburch, Rombout van Troyen and P. van Hattick. Charles Cornelisz. de Hooch was married to Claesgen van Thiel (1629-07-11 - 1671-06-20) and they had one son Horatius (? - after 1686) who in turn married Wilhelmina van Swoll. After he donated a painting to the ‘St. Jobs Gasthuis’ in 1628, he was introduced into the Utrecht Guild of St. Luke in 1633. Charles Cornelisz. de Hooch is not the father of the famous painter of interiors Pieter de Hooch, as is often mentioned. C.H.C. Flugi van Aspermont argues that this is not true, though Het schildersregister by Jan Sysmus, doctor of the city of Amsterdam, which was published by Dr. Abraham Bredius in Oud Holland VIII, mentions (p. 222) ‘Karel de Hoogh, vader van Pieter’ and on p. 307 ‘’. P. Haverkorn van Rijsewijk writes in Oud-Holland X, p. 172, that he found a testament (dating 21 dec 1657) saying: “Henrick de