Artwork
The Love Letter
The Love Letter is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jacob Ochtervelt. It dates from 1670 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Jacob Ochtervelt painted this interior scene around 1670 in Rotterdam, when he was working under the strong influence of Gerard ter Borch.
A seated woman pauses at her toilet to read a letter, her attention fixed on the folded paper while a maidservant attends nearby. Jacob Ochtervelt painted this interior scene around 1670 in Rotterdam, when he was working under the strong influence of Gerard ter Borch. The canvas, measuring 91.4 by 63.5 centimetres, entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1980 as a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Walter Mendelsohn and is catalogued under object number 1980.203.5.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts an interior scene centered on a woman in a dressing gown and cap, seated at a table covered with a cloth. She reads a letter, which, given the work’s title, is understood to be a love letter. Beside her stands a small dog, a motif often associated with fidelity.
Other depicted items, pearl necklace, tassels, shoes, contribute to the intimate domestic setting. The composition thus represents a private moment of romantic correspondence, reinforcing the theme of courtship common in Dutch genre painting of the period.
Technique & Style
The painting is executed in oil paint on canvas, measuring 91.4 by 63.5 cm. The interior scene depicts a woman reading a letter, accompanied by a dressing gown, dog, hairdresser, tablecloth, cap, shoe, tassel, and pearl necklace, the primary formal elements recorded in available sources.
Overview
Jacob Ochtervelt's The Love Letter, an oil on canvas created around 1670, captures a quiet domestic scene from the Dutch Golden Age. The painting depicts a woman pausing her morning routine to read a newly arrived letter, attended by a maidservant. This work exemplifies the period's interest in elegant genre scenes, offering a glimpse into the private lives of the Dutch gentry. Measuring 91.4 by 63.5 centimeters, it is now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection.
Context
Born in Rotterdam in 1634, Jacob Ochtervelt received his artistic training in Haarlem alongside Pieter de Hooch under Nicolaas Bercham. He primarily worked in his native city before moving to Amsterdam later in his career. Around the time The Love Letter was painted, Ochtervelt was significantly influenced by Gerard ter Borch.
This influence is evident in the refined interiors and subtle narrative approach characteristic of Ter Borch's depictions of genteel domestic life, which shaped Ochtervelt's own style.
History & Provenance
This oil painting, executed around 1670, was once part of a private collection in New York belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Walter Mendelsohn. In 1980, they generously donated the artwork to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it was assigned the object number 1980.203.5. The painting is also documented in Walter Liedtke's comprehensive catalogue of Dutch paintings housed within the museum, confirming its place in a significant public collection.
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