Artwork
Portrait of a family making music
Portrait of a family making music is an oil painting by Pieter de Hooch. It dates from 1663 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Portrait of a family making music is an oil painting on canvas, measuring approximately 100 cm in height and 119 cm in width.
Portrait of a family making music is an oil painting on canvas, measuring approximately 100 cm in height and 119 cm in width. The work was executed in 1663 by Pieter de Hooch using oil paint as the medium, with the canvas serving as the support. The painting is classified as a portrait within the artist's oeuvre.
No further details regarding the artist's handling, the painting's condition, or its specific formal and stylistic qualities are provided in the available sources.
History & Provenance
Pieter de Hooch created the oil-on-canvas painting Portrait of a Family Making Music in 1663 in the Netherlands. The work measures 100 cm in height and 119 cm in width. It is currently held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The painting is classified as a genre art piece depicting a domestic scene.
Pieter de Hooch's Portrait of a family making music, created in 1663, is held in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland. The work, executed in oil on canvas, measures 100 cm in height and 119 cm in width. The provided sources confirm the museum's ownership and the painting's physical dimensions but do not specify an inventory or accession number. Furthermore, the available documentation contains no record of the artwork's exhibition history.
Overview
Created in 1663, this oil painting by Pieter de Hooch depicts a domestic gathering in which a family engages in music-making. The scene is set within a warmly lit interior, its walls paneled in dark wood and a checkerboard floor reflecting the ambient light. The composition centers on a woman in a red dress holding a sheet of music, surrounded by three other figures playing lute, flute and violin, while a child and a dog occupy the background.
Subject & Meaning
The work presents an intimate moment of shared leisure, emphasizing the harmonious interaction of family members through music. The relaxed postures and gentle expressions suggest a cultivated atmosphere of cultural refinement, reflecting the 17th‑century Dutch ideal of the well‑ordered household where art and education are valued alongside everyday life.
Context
Created during de Hooch’s mature period in Delft, the piece aligns with his contemporaries, such as Jan Vermeer, who also explored interior spaces illuminated by natural light. The inclusion of musical activity reflects a common motif in Dutch art of the era, symbolizing both moral instruction and the pleasures of cultivated family life.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Pieter Hendricksz. de Hooch (Dutch:; also spelled Hoogh or Hooghe; bapt. 20 December 1629 – after 1683), was a Dutch Golden Age painter famous for his genre works of quiet domestic scenes with an open doorway. He was a…
