Artwork
A mother with two children and a maid with a pail by a fireplace
A mother with two children and a maid with a pail by a fireplace is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Pieter de Hooch. It dates from 1675 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1675, this oil on canvas by Pieter de Hooch portrays a modest interior typical of Dutch Golden Age genre painting. The work is housed in Munich’s Alte Pinakothek and exemplifies the artist’s focus on everyday domestic moments, rendered with a calm, measured composition.
Subject & Meaning
At the centre of the scene a mother in a red dress cradles an infant, while a slightly older child stands nearby. A maid in a dark gown carries a pail, and a dog lies on the tiled floor, suggesting a household at ease. The arrangement emphasizes the routine responsibilities and quiet affection within a 17th‑century Dutch home.
Technique & Style
De Hooch employs a restrained palette of warm earth tones, allowing the light entering from a window to illuminate the figures’ faces and the surrounding furniture. Careful modeling of shadows on the wooden walls and tiled floor creates a sense of depth, while the subtle chiaroscuro highlights the textures of fabric and wood.
History & Provenance
The painting entered the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in the 19th century, where it has remained part of the museum’s Dutch holdings. Its attribution to de Hooch has been consistently accepted since early catalogues, linking it to the artist’s later period of production in Delft.
Context
During the mid‑1600s de Hooch worked in Delft alongside contemporaries such as Jan Vermeer, sharing an interest in domestic interiors and the effects of natural light. This work reflects that shared concern, focusing on a private, well‑ordered space rather than grand historical narratives.
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…
