Artwork
The Sick Girl
The Sick Girl is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jan Steen. It dates from 1663 and is held in the collection of the Mauritshuis.
About this work
Overview
Jan Steen’s 1663 oil painting, titled The Sick Girl, presents an intimate interior scene typical of Dutch Golden Age genre works. Executed in oil on canvas, the composition is housed in the Mauritshuis, where it remains part of the museum’s collection of 17th‑century Dutch art.
Subject & Meaning
The work portrays a young woman seated on a bed, her gaze directed toward her right arm, which is gently supported by a man in a dark cloak and hat. A second woman, dressed in orange with a white apron, stands behind them, observing the scene. The quiet, domestic setting suggests a moment of care and concern, possibly reflecting contemporary attitudes toward illness and familial support.
Technique & Style
Steen employs chiaroscuro to model the figures against a dimly lit room, using strong contrasts of light and shadow to create depth and focus on the central trio. The rich blue velvet dress with white trim, the red curtain, and the small dog on a blue cushion add color accents that enhance the composition’s realism and atmospheric intimacy.
History & Provenance
Painted in 1663 during the height of the Dutch Golden Age, The Sick Girl has been part of the Mauritshuis collection for several decades. The museum acquired the piece as part of its effort to represent Jan Steen’s genre scenes, which illustrate everyday life in 17th‑century Holland.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Havickszoon Steen was a Dutch Golden Age painter, one of the leading genre painters of the 17th century.
Paintings of physicians by Jan Steen
The Dissolute Household
Merry Company on a Terrace
Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman
Interior of an inn with an old man amusing himself with the landlady and two men playing backgammon, known as 'Two kinds of games'
The Drunken Couple
The Happy Family
Bathsheba after the Bath
