Artwork
Five ladies in an interior
Five ladies in an interior is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Bartholomeus van Bassen. It dates from 1640 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Their arrangement around a table, a clavichord, a fireplace and a small dog constitutes the iconographic program documented in the sources.
The painting presents five women gathered inside a richly appointed room, a composition identified as a group portrait. Their arrangement around a table, a clavichord, a fireplace and a small dog constitutes the iconographic program documented in the sources. The inclusion of the dog and musical instrument alludes to domestic virtue and refined leisure, while the interior setting reflects contemporary Dutch middle‑class interiors.
Executed in oil on panel around 1640, the work is catalogued as a portrait genre piece within the Rijksmuseum collection.
Technique & Style
Five ladies in an interior is executed in oil paint on panel, a support consistent with the cabinet-picture format favored by Bartholomeus van Bassen and Dirck van Delen for their architectural interiors. The work measures 94.1 cm in height by 141.8 cm in width, a horizontal orientation that accommodates the broad perspective of the depicted room. The painting is classified as a group portrait and classified broadly as a painting, rendered with the meticulous finish and crisp architectural delineation characteristic of the Dutch architectural painters' circle to which both attributed creators belonged.
The sources do not provide further detail on handling, condition, or specific stylistic qualities beyond the medium, support, dimensions, and genre.
History & Provenance
The oil-on-panel painting Five ladies in an interior was created in 1640. While some records attribute the work solely to Bartholomeus van Bassen, other sources identify Dirck van Delen as a co-creator or the primary artist alongside van Bassen. The work depicts a group portrait scene featuring five women, a dog, and period furnishings such as a clavichord and fireplace.
It is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, having previously been part of the Nederlandsch Museum voor Geschiedenis en Kunst.
The painting Five ladies in an interior is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, formerly known as the Nederlandsch Museum voor Geschiedenis en Kunst. The work, created in 1640 by Dirck van Delen and Bartholomeus van Bassen, is cataloged as an oil-on-panel group portrait. While the sources confirm its current institutional location and creation date, they do not provide a specific inventory or accession number, nor do they list any exhibition history for the piece.
Overview
Bartholomeus van Bassen's oil painting, Five ladies in an interior, dates from 1640. This work depicts a group of women within a grand domestic setting, characterized by its architectural details and various furnishings. The artwork is presently part of the collection at the Rijksmuseum.
Artist & collection
Artist
Bartholomeus van Bassen (1590–1652) was an artist, born in The Hague.
