Artwork
Nursing mother with three girls
Nursing mother with three girls is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Caspar Netscher. It dates from 1675 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition emphasizes maternal care and family continuity, using the nursing mother as a focal point of generative abundance and stability.
The painting depicts a seated woman breastfeeding an infant while three young girls gather around her. One girl holds a distaff and spindle, the second stands close to the nursing mother, and the third leans on the bed’s edge. The spinning implements suggest domestic industry and the nurturing role of women within the household economy.
The composition emphasizes maternal care and family continuity, using the nursing mother as a focal point of generative abundance and stability. The presence of the spinning wheel and bed underscores the setting as an interior space of labor and sustenance, aligning with contemporary genre scenes that valorize virtuous domesticity.
Technique & Style
Caspar Netscher's Nursing Mother with Three Girls, executed in 1675, is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 54.5 cm in height and 48.2 cm in width. As a genre scene, the composition depicts a woman breastfeeding while surrounded by three girls, with elements such as an infant bed and a spinning wheel included in the setting. The artist employs oil paint to render these domestic figures and objects within a confined interior space.
History & Provenance
Created in 1675, "Nursing mother with three girls" is an oil painting on canvas by Caspar Netscher. The work measures 54.5 cm in height and 48.2 cm in width. While primarily attributed to Netscher, some records also associate Joost van Geel with the creation of this piece.
The painting depicts a domestic genre scene featuring a woman breastfeeding, accompanied by three girls, an infant bed, and a spinning wheel. Its provenance indicates that the artwork has been held in various locations, including private collections and major public institutions such as the Hermitage Museum and the Rijksmuseum.
The painting Nursing mother with three girls, executed by Caspar Netscher in 1675, is recorded as an oil on canvas genre scene. According to museum records, the work belongs to the collections of the Hermitage Museum and the Rijksmuseum, and it has also been listed as part of a private collection. Its current location is therefore associated with these two institutions.
The painting measures 54.5 cm in height and 48.2 cm in width, as documented in the catalog entry.
Overview
Caspar Netscher's oil painting, "Nursing mother with three girls," created in 1675, captures a moment of domestic life. This genre scene, rendered in oil paint, depicts a woman attending to her children within a humble interior. The artwork is presently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
Artist & collection
Artist
Caspar Netscher was a Dutch painter. He was a master in depicting oriental rugs, silk and brocade and introduced an international style to the Northern Netherlands.
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