Artwork
A Sick Child
A Sick Child is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Pieter de Hooch. It dates from 1670 and is held in the collection of the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1670, *A Sick Child* is an oil painting by Dutch artist Pieter de Hooch. The work presents a modest interior scene illuminated by a faint firelight, where two women attend to a pale figure seated on a cushion. The composition is rendered with the calm clarity typical of de Hooch’s genre paintings, and the piece is part of the State Hermitage Museum’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
The picture captures a moment of domestic care: a woman in a red skirt holds a basket while a second figure, dressed in a white headscarf and apron, offers a cloth, suggesting nursing attention. The subdued palette and the presence of a small fire convey a quiet, perhaps somber atmosphere, hinting at the illness of a child or a family member within the household.
Technique & Style
De Hooch employs his characteristic use of light to model space, allowing the glow from the hearth to spill across dark wooden walls and simple furnishings. The brushwork is precise yet restrained, defining textures of fabric, wood, and ceramic jars. Spatial depth is achieved through a shallow perspective, drawing the viewer’s eye toward the interaction between the figures.
History & Provenance
After its creation in Delft, the painting entered various private collections before being acquired by the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, where it remains on display. Documentation traces its ownership through 18th‑ and 19th‑century inventories, confirming its attribution to de Hooch and its continuity within European collections.
Context
De Hooch worked contemporaneously with artists such as Jan Vermeer, sharing an interest in everyday domestic life. His oeuvre often features open doorways and orderly interiors that reflect the social values of the Dutch Golden Age. *A Sick Child* aligns with this focus, portraying a private, caring scene that underscores the period’s emphasis on family and household stability.
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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…
Nursing Mother, and Child with Serving Maid
A Lady and a Child with a Serving Maid
A Mother Feeding her Child (The Happy Mother)
Mother Lacing Her Bodice beside a Cradle
Genre Scene in a Kitchen
A Mother Feeding her Child (The Happy Mother)
Interieur mit drei Frauen und einem Mädchen
Family scene
A Woman Cleaning Fish
Interior flamand (olandez)
In the kitchen
Interior of a Dutch house with a woman kneeling by a fire conversing with a woman standing