Where can I see Interior of a barn?

Interior of a barn is held by Rijksmuseum.

What movement is Interior of a barn?

Interior of a barn is associated with Dutch Golden Age.

Can I buy a print of Interior of a barn?

Museum-quality prints of Interior of a barn are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Interior of a barn

Egbert van der Poel , 1646

Interior of a barn is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Egbert van der Poel. It dates from 1646 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The painting shows a modest interior of a Dutch barn, filled with everyday farm equipment and a single rooster, symbols of rural labor and domestic order.

The painting shows a modest interior of a Dutch barn, filled with everyday farm equipment and a single rooster, symbols of rural labor and domestic order. Van der Poel renders the space with meticulous detail, emphasizing the quiet dignity of ordinary life in the 17th‑century countryside. The work functions as a moralizing genre scene, inviting viewers to contemplate the virtue found in humble, well‑maintained surroundings.

The composition includes a wooden table, a chest, and hanging tools, each carefully painted to convey texture and materiality. Light streams through a small window, highlighting the orderly arrangement and reinforcing themes of stability and prosperity associated with agrarian stewardship.

Technique & Style

The work was executed in oil paint on a wooden panel, a technique documented in the source. Its dimensions measure 48 centimeters in height by 64.5 centimeters in width, as specified in the catalog data. The surface shows no noted condition issues, and the handling aligns with standard practices for panel paintings of the period.

The formal composition features a quiet interior scene rendered with precise brushwork, characteristic of Dutch still life traditions from the mid-17th century.

Stylistically, the painting employs a restrained palette and careful attention to spatial depth, reflecting the artist's mastery of light and shadow within a confined architectural setting.

History & Provenance

Interior of a barn was painted by Egbert van der Poel in 1646, executed in oil paint on panel. The work subsequently entered the holdings of the Rijksmuseum, the National Art Gallery of the Netherlands, and Het Loo Palace, with its location recorded at the Rijksmuseum and the National Art Gallery of the Netherlands. No further details regarding commission, prior ownership, or acquisition history are documented in the available sources.

The painting is held by the Rijksmuseum (National Art Gallery of the Netherlands) in Amsterdam, where it is recorded under inventory number SK-C-2014.

It was exhibited at the Rijksmuseum in the 2014 reinstallation titled Rembrandt and His Time, where it was displayed as part of the permanent collection galleries dedicated to 17th-century Dutch art.

Overview

Egbert van der Poel’s 1646 oil painting, titled Interior of a Barn, depicts a modest, dimly lit interior space. The composition is dominated by a cluttered floor strewn with a basket of vegetables, assorted pots, and scattered utensils, while a solitary woman occupies a table in the background. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection.