Who painted Two Ladies Looking at a Picture?

Two Ladies Looking at a Picture was painted by Alexander Hugo Bakker Korff in 1866.

Where can I see Two Ladies Looking at a Picture?

Two Ladies Looking at a Picture is held by Rijksmuseum.

What movement is Two Ladies Looking at a Picture?

Two Ladies Looking at a Picture is associated with Realism.

Artwork

Two Ladies Looking at a Picture

Alexander Hugo Bakker Korff , 1866

Two Ladies Looking at a Picture is an oil painting by the Realist artist Alexander Hugo Bakker Korff. It dates from 1866 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Overview

Alexander Hugo Bakker Korff’s oil painting Two Ladies Looking at a Picture, executed in 1866, is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection. The work presents an intimate interior scene in which two women share a moment of quiet attention, their gazes fixed on a small image held between them.

Subject & Meaning

The composition depicts a pair of women seated side by side on a settee; one is dressed in a red garment with a white cap, the other in a white dress covered by a dark shawl. Both direct their focus toward a miniature picture, suggesting a private exchange or contemplation of a shared memory.

Technique & Style

Bakker Korff employs a pronounced impasto, laying on thick layers of paint that render the surface tactile and give the figures a slightly blurred, almost photographic quality. The lighting is diffused, casting soft shadows beneath the couch and on the wall, while the visible brushwork adds a textured, almost sculptural dimension to the scene.

History & Provenance

Created in the mid‑nineteenth century, the canvas entered the Rijksmuseum’s holdings at an unspecified date, where it remains on display. Its provenance prior to museum acquisition is not extensively documented, but the work reflects the artist’s interest in domestic genre scenes popular in Dutch art of the period.