Artwork
Interior with Woman at the Spinning Wheel
Interior with Woman at the Spinning Wheel is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Esaias Boursse. It dates from 1661 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work belongs to the Rijksmuseum collection and is cataloged under the title Interior with Woman at the Spinning Wheel.
The painting shows a domestic interior centered on a woman engaged in the act of spinning. Boursse’s genre scene emphasizes everyday domestic labor, presenting spinning as both a practical household activity and a symbol of modest virtue in 17th-century Dutch society. The intimate setting reflects the artist’s interest in quiet, contemplative moments within bourgeois homes.
The work belongs to the Rijksmuseum collection and is cataloged under the title Interior with Woman at the Spinning Wheel.
This representation of a single woman at a spinning wheel underscores themes of domesticity and economic modesty characteristic of Dutch Golden Age genre painting.
Technique & Style
Interior with Woman at the Spinning Wheel is an oil painting on canvas, a medium and support consistent with Esaias Boursse's standard practice for his small-scale genre scenes. The work is classified as a genre painting, a category Boursse favored for its intimate depictions of domestic interiors. Measuring 60 cm in height by 49 cm in width, the modest dimensions support the close, detailed handling typical of Dutch genre painting, where carefully observed textures of fabric, wood, and fiber are rendered in oil to convey the quiet atmosphere of an enclosed room.
The canvas support provides a stable ground for the fine brushwork needed to articulate the spinning wheel and the figure absorbed in her task.
The work is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where its condition and stylistic features can be assessed alongside other examples of Boursse's oeuvre.
History & Provenance
Interior with Woman at the Spinning Wheel is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. Its inventory number is not specified in the provided sources. The work was exhibited in the Rijksmuseum's exhibition titled "Dutch and Flemish Paintings from the 17th Century," as documented in. It has also been featured in broader exhibitions of Dutch Golden Age art, though specific exhibition titles or venues beyond the Rijksmuseum presentation are not detailed in the available documentation.
Context
Interior with Woman at the Spinning Wheel (1661) by Esaias Boursse exemplifies Dutch Golden Age genre painting, depicting domestic interior scenes with meticulous detail. The work reflects Boursse's role within the broader tradition of 17th-century Dutch realism, focusing on everyday domestic activities. It is housed in the Rijksmuseum collection, where it remains part of their holdings of Dutch Baroque art.
Scholarship highlights its significance in understanding domestic life and artistic techniques of the period, situating it within Boursse's oeuvre as a contemporary of prominent Dutch masters. The painting measures 60 cm by 49 cm and is executed in oil on canvas.
Overview
Esaias Boursse’s 1661 oil painting, Interior with Woman at the Spinning Wheel, depicts a modest domestic interior. The composition is anchored by a solitary figure engaged in the act of spinning, set against a dimly lit room whose muted tones emphasize the quiet routine of everyday life.
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