Artwork
Brothel scene with a sleeping couple
Brothel scene with a sleeping couple is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jacob Duck. It dates from 1645 and is held in the collection of the Alte Pinakothek.
About this work
Technique & Style
Its modest dimensions, 37 cm in height by 31 cm in width, place it firmly within the small-scale genre format Duck favoured for intimate interior subjects.
The work is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel, a support typical of seventeenth-century Dutch cabinet pictures intended for close viewing. Its modest dimensions, 37 cm in height by 31 cm in width, place it firmly within the small-scale genre format Duck favoured for intimate interior subjects.
Stylistically, the painting belongs to the Dutch genre tradition, depicting a brothel scene with a sleeping couple. The restricted panel size and oil medium allowed for the fine detail and smooth finish associated with Duck's narrative scenes of everyday and disreputable life. The work is held in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
History & Provenance
The oil painting titled Brothel scene with a sleeping couple was created by Jacob Duck in 1645. Executed on a panel support, the work measures 37 cm in height and 31 cm in width. It is currently part of the collection at the Alte Pinakothek, where it is displayed in the small gallery 19 on the upper floor. The source material identifies the piece as a genre scene depicting a woman within a brothel setting.
Overview
This 1645 oil painting by Jacob Duck is a characteristic work of the Dutch Golden Age, depicting a scene from everyday life. It is part of the Alte Pinakothek's collection.
Subject & Meaning
The painting shows a brothel interior with a woman in a red dress on a bed, surrounded by several figures, including men with a bag of money and a child in the doorway. The woman's relaxed pose suggests she is oblivious to her surroundings.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jacob Duck (also Ducq, Duyck, Duick, Duc) (1600 – buried 22/28 January 1667) was a Dutch painter and etcher.
