The Bedroom

Dated to 1658–1660, the painting is associated with a documented Amsterdam sale in 1822 where a work matching its description fetched 25 florins.

It later entered the British market, passing from Admiral Lord Radstock through successive British aristocratic and dealer hands, Stafford House, Emery Rutley, Morant, Robert Field, Charles Scarisbrick, and Adrian John Hope, before being sold at Christie’s London on 30 June 1894 to Charles J. Wertheimer for £2,257 10s. Within weeks, Wertheimer transferred it to Charles Sedelmeyer in Paris, who sold it to Peter A. B. Widener by 30 July 1894. After Widener’s death, the painting was gifted in 1942 to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., as part of Joseph E. Widener’s bequest.

Pieter de Hooch's The Bedroom (1658) is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it was accessioned in 1942 as a gift from the Widener Estate. The work entered the museum's holdings through the inheritance of Joseph E. Widener from his father, Peter A.B. Widener, who originally acquired the painting in Paris on July 30, 1894. Prior to its arrival in the United States, the painting passed through numerous European collections, including those of Charles Sedelmeyer, Adrian John Hope, and Charles Scarisbrick.

Its exhibition history includes a listing in the 1898 catalogue of 300 paintings by the Paris dealer Sedelmeyer as number 70. The painting was also documented by Hofstede de Groot in 1910, who noted its authenticity and compared it to a similar version in Karlsruhe.

Scholarly attention to Pieter de Hooch's The Bedroom (c. 1658–1660) began with Cornelis Hofstede de Groot, who documented the work in 1910 as a highly authentic example of Dutch Golden Age genre painting. De Groot noted its close similarity to a variant held in Karlsruhe, distinguishing the two primarily by the absence of ornamental detailing on the mirror in the Widener version. The painting is recognized as a successful and repeated design by the artist, with multiple variations of the subject existing beyond the Karlsruhe counterpart.

Art historical analysis places the work firmly within de Hooch's mature period, highlighting his mastery of interior light and domestic space. The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., currently houses the painting, which entered its collection in 1942 via the Widener gift, securing its status as a key representative of 17th-century Dutch art.

“The Bedroom” is an oil painting created by the Dutch artist Pieter de Hooch between 1658 and 1660. This work exemplifies the domestic genre scenes characteristic of the Dutch Golden Age. Rendered on canvas, it is currently held within the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., representing a significant example of the artist's output from this period.