1652
oil
panel
From the collection of Mauritshuis
Mother Delousing her Child’s Hair is a 1652 oil by Gerard ter Borch, a Dutch Golden Age work, held at Mauritshuis.
This painting shows a woman sitting in a chair, carefully examining a child's hair. The woman is dressed in dark, rich clothing with a white collar, while the child wears a brown jacket and a white bib over a blue dress. The child sits on the woman's lap, looking up at her with a curious expression. The scene is set in a dimly lit room with a dark background, which helps to focus attention on the figures. The woman's face is illuminated, highlighting her concentration as she searches for lice in the child's hair. The overall mood of the painting is one of quiet intimacy and domesticity. To learn more about the artist's use of light and shadow, explore the technique of chiaroscuro.
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.
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