Artwork
Portrait of a Venetian Family with a Manservant Serving Coffee
Portrait of a Venetian Family with a Manservant Serving Coffee is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Pietro Longhi. It dates from 1752 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The coffee ritual itself reflects the period's fashion for the beverage as a marker of polite sociability among the Venetian patriciate.
The painting portrays a Venetian household gathered in an interior, with a manservant presenting coffee to the seated family members. Pietro Longhi's composition centers on the social rituals of eighteenth-century domestic life, using the act of coffee service as a focal moment that organizes the figures around a shared gesture of hospitality and refinement. The inclusion of a domestic worker alongside the family highlights the visible hierarchy of the Venetian household, where service was an integral part of genteel display.
The coffee ritual itself reflects the period's fashion for the beverage as a marker of polite sociability among the Venetian patriciate.
The intimate scale and arrangement of figures emphasize the private, domestic sphere rather than public ceremony, situating the work within the genre of conversation piece portraiture that Longhi favored.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for Venetian portraiture of the period. According to the cataloguing record, the canvas measures 60.2 cm in height by 48.2 cm in width, giving it an upright, intimate format suited to a domestic group scene. The painting is classified as a portrait and depicts a family together with a domestic worker, consistent with Pietro Longhi's characteristic focus on middle-class Venetian interiors. The medium and dimensions together indicate a modest cabinet-scale composition rather than a large decorative commission.
No source addresses the specific handling of the brushwork, the condition of the canvas, or the stylistic qualities of the figures and setting, so those aspects cannot be reported here.
History & Provenance
Pietro Longhi created the oil-on-canvas painting Portrait of a Venetian Family with a Manservant Serving Coffee in 1752. The work measures 60.2 cm in height and 48.2 cm in width. It depicts a family scene accompanied by a domestic worker. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
Overview
Created in 1752 by Venetian painter Pietro Longhi, this oil on canvas portrays a domestic interior in which a family of five is attended by a servant offering coffee. The work is part of the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it exemplifies Longhi’s interest in everyday Venetian life.
Context
Longhi was known for his genre scenes that documented the social rituals of Venice’s merchant class. This work aligns with his broader oeuvre, which often includes servants, domestic interiors, and the subtle interplay of status and intimacy within the household setting.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
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