Artwork
Old Woman eating Porridge by a Spinning Wheel
Old Woman eating Porridge by a Spinning Wheel is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Quirijn van Brekelenkam. It dates from 1654 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
These elements combine to illustrate a moment of daily life, focusing on the intersection of sustenance and labor within a humble interior.
Painted in 1654 by Quirijn van Brekelenkam, this oil-on-panel work presents a domestic genre scene centered on an elderly woman. The composition depicts the figure consuming porridge while seated beside a spinning wheel. These elements combine to illustrate a moment of daily life, focusing on the intersection of sustenance and labor within a humble interior.
The inclusion of the spinning wheel alongside the act of eating highlights the continuous nature of household work, characteristic of Dutch genre art from this period.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint on panel, a support typical of mid-seventeenth-century Dutch genre painting. Its dimensions are modest: 57.5 cm in height by 68.5 cm in width, giving the composition a horizontal orientation suited to an intimate domestic interior. The painting belongs to the genre category, depicting a woman eating porridge beside a spinning wheel, treated with the quiet, observational realism associated with Brekelenkam's Leiden circle.
The handling of oil on a wooden support would have allowed for the fine detail and smooth finish characteristic of cabinet pictures of this period, though specific notes on the work's current condition are not documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
Old Woman eating Porridge by a Spinning Wheel is an oil painting on panel created in 1654 by Quirijn van Brekelenkam. It measures 57.5 cm by 68.5 cm and depicts an elderly woman eating porridge beside a spinning wheel. A Dutch Golden Age genre scene, it is part of the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is housed in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. The available sources do not document a specific accession number or exhibition history for the work.
Context
The work reflects Quirijn van Brekelenkam's specialization in domestic interior scenes during the mid-17th century. Painted in 1654, it depicts a humble domestic activity, contrasting with contemporaries' focus on more affluent subjects, and contributes to understanding the development of genre painting within Dutch art. It is held in the Bavarian State Painting Collections at the Alte Pinakothek, though specific critical-reception details remain sparsely documented in the available sources.
Overview
Quirijn van Brekelenkam’s 1654 oil painting, Old Woman Eating Porridge by a Spinning Wheel, presents a modest interior scene typical of Dutch genre works. The canvas captures a quiet moment in a dimly lit room, where an elderly figure attends to her meal beside a functional spinning wheel. The work is part of the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
Artist & collection
Artist
Quirijn or Quiringh Gerritsz van Brekelenkam (1622/29, Zwammerdam – 1669/79, Leiden) was a Dutch Baroque genre painter.
