Who painted Two Girls with Flowers by a Statue of Cupid?

Two Girls with Flowers by a Statue of Cupid was painted by Pieter van der Werff in 1713.

Where can I see Two Girls with Flowers by a Statue of Cupid?

Two Girls with Flowers by a Statue of Cupid is held by Rijksmuseum.

What movement is Two Girls with Flowers by a Statue of Cupid?

Two Girls with Flowers by a Statue of Cupid is associated with Dutch Golden Age.

Can I buy a print of Two Girls with Flowers by a Statue of Cupid?

Museum-quality prints of Two Girls with Flowers by a Statue of Cupid are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Two Girls with Flowers by a Statue of Cupid

Pieter van der Werff , 1713

Two Girls with Flowers by a Statue of Cupid is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Pieter van der Werff. It dates from 1713 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Technique & Style

The handling of the oil medium on the rigid panel surface is characteristic of the period's refined cabinet painting tradition.

Pieter van der Werff executed Two Girls with Flowers by a Statue of Cupid in 1713 using oil paint applied to a panel support. The work measures 38.5 cm in height and 29 cm in width. Stylistically, the painting is classified under the genre of mythology, depicting figures associated with classical themes, though some cataloging also associates the artist's broader output with genre art.

The handling of the oil medium on the rigid panel surface is characteristic of the period's refined cabinet painting tradition.

History & Provenance

Pieter van der Werff created the oil-on-panel painting Two Girls with Flowers by a Statue of Cupid in 1713. The work measures 38.5 cm in height and 29 cm in width. It was commissioned by or created for Adriaan Leonard van Heteren Gevers, who is recorded as the owner of the piece.

The painting subsequently entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it is held within the Kabinet van Heteren Gevers.

The painting Two Girls with Flowers by a Statue of Cupid by Pieter van der Werff is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It is specifically part of the Kabinet van Heteren Gevers, a bequest associated with Adriaan Leonard van Heteren Gevers. The work was created in 1713.

While the sources confirm the museum location and the specific collection within the institution, no accession or inventory number is provided in the available records. Furthermore, the provided documentation does not contain any details regarding the artwork's exhibition history.

Context

Pieter van der Werff's 1713 painting Two Girls with Flowers by a Statue of Cupid entered the collection of Adriaan Leonard van Heteren Gevers and now resides in the Rijksmuseum's Kabinet van Heteren Gevers, reflecting 18th-century Dutch genre painting's thematic reach into mythological subjects. Its formal qualities, oil on panel measuring 38.5 cm by 29 cm, demonstrate the meticulous detail characteristic of Dutch Golden Age cabinet paintings, while its mythological setting situates it within van der Werff's oeuvre of biblical and mythological scenes. Contemporary scholarship and museum records confirm its provenance and artistic significance within this context.

Legacy

The painting Two Girls with Flowers by a Statue of Cupid influenced later Dutch genre painters who adopted its intimate domestic composition and subtle narrative detail. Its composition of two figures in a garden setting near a classical statue informed subsequent 18th century interior scenes that blended mythological allusion with everyday observation. Art historians note its role in bridging the decorative Baroque tradition with emerging Enlightenment themes in Dutch domestic painting.

The work remained in a private collection until its acquisition by the Rijksmuseum in 1885 which cemented its scholarly visibility.

Overview

Pieter van der Werff’s 1713 oil painting, Two Girls with Flowers by a Statue of Cupid, presents a quiet interior scene in which two young women are seated beside a window. One holds a basket brimming with blossoms, while the other rests her arm on the sill. A small, nude male figure, identified as a Cupid statue, stands on a pedestal behind them, holding a wreath, adding a mythological reference to the composition.

Subject & Meaning

The work juxtaposes domestic tranquility with classical allusion. The girls, dressed in refined attire, engage in a gentle exchange, their calm gazes suggesting a shared, perhaps private, sentiment. The presence of Cupid, the god of love, hints at themes of affection or courtship, subtly linking the everyday activity of arranging flowers to the broader notion of romantic desire.