Farmer's Wife Delousing her Husband
1692
From the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst
1692
From the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst
This black-and-white image shows a small, dim room with rough walls and a wooden beam. A woman in a headscarf kneels on the floor, reaching up to check a man’s hair for lice. Two children sit nearby, one looking down, the other holding something small. A barrel and a stool are in the corner, and a window lets in a sliver of light. The scene feels intimate but tense, with the woman’s focus on her task. The lighting is stark, highlighting the figures against the dark background. Next, look up *chiaroscuro* to see how this dramatic light-and-shadow trick works.
