Artwork
The Family Having Lunch
The Family Having Lunch is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Gerrit Lundens. It is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
The Family Having Lunch, a 1702 oil painting by Dutch artist Gerrit Lundens, depicts a serene domestic scene of a family sharing a meal together in an intimate indoor setting.
Subject & Meaning
The painting captures a moment of everyday life, conveying a sense of warmth, comfort, and quiet intimacy among the family members as they engage in conversation, a woman serves a drink, and a man plays a musical instrument.
Technique & Style
Lundens employed chiaroscuro to create depth and volume, guiding the viewer's eye into the scene, characteristic of the Dutch Golden Age's emphasis on lighting and spatial illusion.
History & Provenance
Created during the Dutch Golden Age, the work is now part of the collection at Statens Museum for Kunst, reflecting Lundens' contribution to 17th-century Dutch genre painting alongside his other professions as innkeeper and wine merchant.
Context
As a genre scene, The Family Having Lunch fits within the broader tradition of Dutch Golden Age painting, which often focused on depicting ordinary life with realism and emotional depth.
Legacy
While specific lasting impacts of The Family Having Lunch on subsequent art movements are not prominently documented, it remains a representative example of Dutch Golden Age domestic genre painting.
Artist & collection
Artist
Gerrit Lundens (1622 – 1686), was a Dutch painter known for his genre scenes, portraits and a single vanitas painting.
