Glass of Lemonade

Glass of Lemonade is an oil on canvas work created around 1663–1664 by Gerard ter Borch, executed in the Dutch Republic. The painting measures 67 cm in height and 54 cm in width, depicting a woman and man engaged in a quiet domestic moment with a glass of lemonade. Ter Borch employed delicate brushwork to render fine textures, such as the sheen of satin clothing and the translucency of glass, emphasizing psychological intimacy within a bourgeois interior.

The composition exemplifies his late style, characterized by nuanced lighting and subtle narrative detail, moving beyond genre conventions toward private, psychologically resonant scenes. The work is housed in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, having entered the collection in 1815 via Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais.

Created in 1663, the painting entered the collection of Étienne François, duc de Choiseul by 1761. It later passed to Willem Lormier and then to Joséphine de Beauharnais, from whose estate it was acquired in 1815 for the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, where it remains. The work depicts an intimate domestic scene typical of ter Borch’s late period, focusing on the psychological connection between the figures rather than a simple genre narrative.

The painting is held in the State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, where it entered in 1815 as part of the collection of Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais. It is exhibited in Room 249 of the New Hermitage and is inventoried under Hermitage accession number ГЭ-6087.

The work was previously in the holdings of Willem Lormier, Étienne François, duc de Choiseul, and Joséphine de Beauharnais before entering the Hermitage.

Glass of Lemonade (Dutch: Het glas limonade) is an oil on canvas painting by Gerard ter Borch created around 1664. It depicts a domestic scene with a woman and a man sharing a glass of lemonade, reflecting the artist's late interest in psychological nuance within bourgeois interiors. The work belongs to the Hermitage Museum's collection, entered in 1815 from Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais, and is displayed in Room 249 of the New Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

It is recognized as one of the earliest Dutch genre paintings to convey intimate psychological connections between figures, exemplifying ter Borch's transition from straightforward genre scenes to more nuanced private moments.

The painting's significance extends beyond its immediate context, influencing later depictions of bourgeois domestic life and contributing to the development of genre painting. It is recognized as an early example of psychological depth in Dutch interior scenes, shaping how artists approached intimate domestic subjects in the 18th and 19th centuries. The work's presence in the Hermitage collection, particularly through Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais's acquisition, elevated its profile and ensured its continued visibility in art historical narratives.

‘Glass of Lemonade’ is an oil painting on canvas executed by Dutch painter Gerard ter Borch around 1664. The work measures a modest size and depicts a solitary glass of lemonade placed on a simple table. It exemplifies the quiet domestic genre scenes for which ter Borch is known, focusing on the subtle interplay of light and everyday objects.