Artwork
Two boys with a mouse trap and a cat at a window
Two boys with a mouse trap and a cat at a window is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Adriaen van der Werff. It dates from 1688 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created in 1676, the painting presents a domestic interaction where the figures and objects are arranged to capture a specific moment of everyday life.
The work depicts a genre scene featuring two boys, a cat, a mousetrap, and a window. Created in 1676, the painting presents a domestic interaction where the figures and objects are arranged to capture a specific moment of everyday life. While the title identifies the literal components, a mousetrap, a cat, and the boys, the sources do not provide further interpretation regarding specific symbolic meanings or allegorical representations associated with these elements.
The composition focuses on the visual narrative of the characters and their engagement with the animal and the trap within an interior setting.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint on panel, a support typical of small-scale Dutch cabinet pictures of the period. Its compact dimensions, approximately 38.1 cm in height by 32 cm in width, indicate an intimate, finely handled format suited to close viewing rather than large-scale display.
Stylistically, the painting belongs to the genre scene tradition, depicting two boys, a cat, and a mousetrap at a window. The combination of a smooth panel support and oil medium allowed for the polished, enamel-like finish associated with Adriaen van der Werff's late seventeenth-century output, in which figures and textures are rendered with meticulous detail and a cool, refined surface.
History & Provenance
The painting is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin. It entered the collection through Richard Green Fine Paintings and was previously owned by Hinrich Bischoff. Inventory number: 2009-1-117.
The work has been exhibited in Berlin as part of the museum's display of Dutch and German Baroque paintings. Exhibition history includes a presentation in the museum's Dutch and German Baroque gallery. The painting was displayed at the Gemäldegalerie Berlin in 2009 following its acquisition.
Context
The painting Two boys with a mouse trap and a cat at a window by Adriaen van der Werff was created in 1676 as an oil on panel work measuring 38.1 cm by 32 cm. It depicts a domestic scene featuring two boys, a cat, and a mousetrap positioned near a window, characteristic of 17th-century Dutch genre painting. The work is held in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin, having been acquired by collector Hinrich Bischoff, and was previously associated with Richard Green Fine Paintings. Its subject matter and composition align with genre scenes that explored everyday life with moral or symbolic undertones, situating it within the broader context of Dutch Golden Age painting and the stylistic lineage of artists like Eglon van der Neer.
The attribution and provenance reflect ongoing scholarly discussion regarding the roles of van der Neer and van der Werff in collaborative or closely related works.
Overview
Adriän van der Werff painted Two boys with a mouse trap and a cat at a window in 1688. Executed in oil on canvas, the work shows a domestic interior where two young boys engage with a cat and a mousetrap near an open window. The composition balances light and shadow, creating a quiet, observant scene typical of late‑seventeenth‑century Dutch genre painting.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Adriaen van der Werff (21 January 1659 – 12 November 1722) was a Dutch painter of portraits and erotic, devotional and mythological scenes.
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