Artwork
A Man with a Book and Two Women
A Man with a Book and Two Women is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Pieter de Hooch. It is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1688, *A Man with a Book and Two Women* is an oil painting by Dutch artist Pieter de Hooch. The work portrays a modest interior scene in which a seated man, a book resting on his lap, and two standing women—one holding a child—share the same space. The composition is anchored by a tiled floor and a large window that admits daylight, lending the scene a calm, domestic atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The painting captures a moment of everyday life, emphasizing quiet interaction among the figures. The man's focus on the book suggests study or contemplation, while the women's presence, one caring for a child, highlights familial duties. The arrangement of light and space underscores the intimacy of a private household, a recurrent theme in de Hooch’s oeuvre.
Technique & Style
De Hooch employs a restrained palette of light and dark tones, allowing the natural light from the window to model the figures and interior surfaces. Precise rendering of the tiled floor and subtle gradations of shadow create depth, while the delicate handling of textures—fabric, wood, and glass—reflects the artist’s mastery of the Dutch genre tradition.
History & Provenance
Since its completion, the painting has been part of several private collections before entering the public domain. It is presently housed in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, where it forms part of the museum’s holdings of Dutch Golden Age works, offering viewers insight into 17th‑century domestic genre painting.
Context
Pieter de Hooch worked in Delft during the same period as Jan Vermeer, sharing an interest in interior scenes illuminated by daylight. While both artists explored similar subjects, de Hooch’s compositions often feature broader spatial arrangements and multiple figures, as seen in this work, which exemplifies the genre’s focus on everyday middle‑class life in the Dutch Republic.
Artist & collection
Artist
Pieter Hendricksz. de Hooch (Dutch: ; also spelled Hoogh or Hooghe; bapt. 20 December 1629 – after 1683), was a Dutch Golden Age painter famous for his genre works of quiet domestic scenes with an open doorway. He was a…
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