Artwork
Boy fleaing a dog
Boy fleaing a dog is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Gerard ter Borch. It is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work belongs to the broader tradition of Dutch Golden Age genre painting that elevated ordinary tasks to artistic subjects.
The painting depicts a young boy playfully scattering fleas from a dog's coat, a domestic moment that captures 18th-century Dutch genre scene interest in everyday animal interactions. The subject reflects contemporary observations of household life, where such chores were part of caring for working animals, though no symbolic meaning has been documented for this specific activity. The work belongs to the broader tradition of Dutch Golden Age genre painting that elevated ordinary tasks to artistic subjects.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1728, this genre scene by Gerard ter Borch is an oil painting applied on a panel support. The work measures 36 cm in height and 28.5 cm in width. As a piece of genre art, it depicts a domestic subject, consistent with the artist's focus on everyday life.
The painting entered the collection of Adriaan van der Hoop before becoming part of the holdings at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
History & Provenance
The painting Boy Fleeing a Dog by Gerard ter Borch is dated to 1728. Executed in oil paint on panel, the work measures 36 cm in height and 28.5 cm in width. Historical records indicate the piece was part of the collection of Adriaan van der Hoop.
It is currently held within the combined collections of the Rijksmuseum and the Amsterdam Museum, specifically associated with the Adriaan van der Hoop collection.
Context
Boy fleaing a dog is a 1728 oil painting by Gerard ter Borch that exemplifies the Dutch Golden Age's genre painting tradition. The work depicts a child engaged in playful interaction with a dog, reflecting contemporary themes of domestic life and moral instruction. It is part of the broader European artistic discourse on everyday scenes, as discussed in scholarly analyses of 18th-century Dutch painting.
The painting's composition and subject matter align with genre conventions while demonstrating ter Borch's technical mastery of oil on panel. Its creation coincides with the height of Dutch interior scene popularity, though it differs from ter Borch's more famous works through its smaller scale and narrative focus.
The painting is housed in the Rijksmuseum collection and was originally owned by Adriaan van der Hoop, a notable Dutch art collector whose holdings significantly contributed to Dutch art's preservation and exhibition history.
Overview
Gerard ter Borch’s oil painting Boy Fleeing a Dog presents a quiet domestic scene. Executed in the late seventeenth century, the work captures a moment of gentle interaction between a child and a small dog within a modest interior, rendered with the subtlety characteristic of Dutch genre painting.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Gerard ter Borch (Dutch:; December 1617 – 8 December 1681), also known as Gerard Terburg (Dutch: ), was a Dutch Golden Age painter mainly of genre subjects.
