Artwork
Woman nursing by a cradle with a dog at her feet
Woman nursing by a cradle with a dog at her feet is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Pieter de Hooch. It dates from 1675 and is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The iconography centers on maternal care and the private sphere, emphasizing themes of nurturing and family life.
The painting depicts a woman seated on a chair while nursing an infant in a cradle; a dog rests at her feet. The interior setting includes a window-lit room with a staircase in the background, domestic furniture, and everyday objects that frame the scene within a household context.
The iconography centers on maternal care and the private sphere, emphasizing themes of nurturing and family life. The presence of the dog at the woman's feet may symbolize fidelity or household harmony, aligning with contemporary Dutch genre conventions that linked animals to virtues such as loyalty and domestic virtue.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for Pieter de Hooch's genre scenes of this period. The painting measures 79.7 cm in height by 59.7 cm in width, giving it an upright, vertically oriented format suited to the intimate domestic interior it depicts.
Stylistically, the composition belongs to the Dutch Golden Age tradition of genre painting, organizing the domestic space around a nursing woman, a cradle, and a dog at her feet, with architectural elements such as a window, stairs, chair, and bed structuring the room. The handling is consistent with de Hooch's mature manner of arranging quiet household vignettes with careful attention to light and spatial recession.
History & Provenance
Woman nursing by a cradle with a dog at her feet is an oil-on-canvas painting by Pieter de Hooch dated 1675. The work measures 79.7 cm by 59.7 cm and is classified as a genre scene. It has been part of the Detroit Institute of Arts collection, where it remains on display. No specific commission or earlier owners are recorded in the available documentation.
Overview
Pieter de Hooch's Woman nursing by a cradle with a dog at her feet, painted in 1675, is an oil on canvas depicting a tranquil domestic interior. This work exemplifies the Dutch Golden Age genre scene, a style for which de Hooch was renowned. It captures a moment of quiet family life, featuring a woman with an infant and other household elements. The painting is presently part of the collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Context
As a prominent painter of the Dutch Golden Age, Pieter de Hooch was known for his intimate portrayals of domestic life. He was a contemporary of Johannes Vermeer and a member of the prestigious Delft Guild of St. Luke. De Hooch frequently explored themes of home and family in his compositions, offering viewers a glimpse into the daily routines and quiet dignity of 17th-century Dutch households.
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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…
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