Who painted A Girl Drawing and a Boy near a Statue of Venus?

A Girl Drawing and a Boy near a Statue of Venus was painted by Pieter van der Werff in 1715.

Where can I see A Girl Drawing and a Boy near a Statue of Venus?

A Girl Drawing and a Boy near a Statue of Venus is held by Rijksmuseum.

What movement is A Girl Drawing and a Boy near a Statue of Venus?

A Girl Drawing and a Boy near a Statue of Venus is associated with Rococo painting.

Can I buy a print of A Girl Drawing and a Boy near a Statue of Venus?

Museum-quality prints of A Girl Drawing and a Boy near a Statue of Venus are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

A Girl Drawing and a Boy near a Statue of Venus

Pieter van der Werff , 1715

A Girl Drawing and a Boy near a Statue of Venus is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Pieter van der Werff. It dates from 1715 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Technique & Style

According to the Wikidata record, its materials are listed as oil paint, panel, and canvas, indicating a mixed-support specification in the catalogue entry.

The work is executed in oil paint and classified as a painting on a small-scale support, measuring 38.5 cm in height by 29 cm in width. According to the Wikidata record, its materials are listed as oil paint, panel, and canvas, indicating a mixed-support specification in the catalogue entry. The genre is given as mythology, consistent with the inclusion of a statue of Venus in the scene.

Beyond these catalogue-level descriptors, the available sources do not provide further detail on handling, condition, or stylistic qualities.

History & Provenance

A Girl Drawing and a Boy near a Statue of Venus was created by Pieter van der Werff in 1715, executed in oil paint and classified within the mythological genre tradition.

The work subsequently entered the collection of Adriaan Leonard van Heteren Gevers, from whose holdings it passed into the Kabinet van Heteren Gevers. It is now held within the joint holdings of the Rijksmuseum and the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands Art Collection, with its present location recorded at the Rijksmuseum.

The painting A Girl Drawing and a Boy near a Statue of Venus by Pieter van der Werff is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It is part of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands Art Collection, specifically within the Kabinet van Heteren Gevers, a bequest from Adriaan Leonard van Heteren Gevers. The work dates to 1715 and is executed in oil on panel and canvas.

The provided sources do not contain information regarding specific past exhibitions or a unique inventory number beyond its association with the named collection.

Overview

Pieter van der Werff’s 1715 oil painting, titled A Girl Drawing and a Boy near a Statue of Venus, is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection. Executed in the late Dutch Golden Age, the work reflects the Rococo taste for intimate, genre‑like scenes that blend everyday activity with classical references.

Subject & Meaning

The composition presents a young woman in a pink gown bent over a table, absorbed in sketching with a pencil, while a boy in a plain shirt peers over her shoulder, holding a spherical object. Behind them stands a marble statue of a nude Venus partially covered by a cloth, linking the domestic study of art to mythological inspiration.

Context

During the early 18th century, Dutch artists increasingly incorporated French Rococo influences, favoring lighthearted subjects and refined interiors. Van der Werff’s choice to juxtapose a contemporary drawing lesson with a classical statue reflects contemporary interests in education, artistic practice, and the revival of antiquity within a domestic setting.