Artwork
Reading aloud
Reading aloud is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Quirijn van Brekelenkam. It dates from 1660 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The inclusion of the lace pillow further emphasizes the setting of a well-appointed, middle-class home, reflecting the values and daily life of the period.
Quirijn van Brekelenkam's 1660 oil painting, Reading Aloud, is a genre scene depicting an intimate domestic interior where a man and a woman are engaged in the act of reading. The composition includes specific iconographic elements such as a lace pillow, a book, a rummer, and a parrot housed in a birdcage. These objects situate the work within the tradition of 17th-century Dutch genre art, which often used everyday household items to convey moral or social narratives.
The presence of the parrot and the birdcage may allude to themes of speech, mimicry, or confinement, while the shared activity of reading suggests a focus on education, piety, or domestic harmony. The inclusion of the lace pillow further emphasizes the setting of a well-appointed, middle-class home, reflecting the values and daily life of the period.
Technique & Style
Created in 1660, Reading Aloud is an oil painting executed on a wooden panel support by Quirijn van Brekelenkam. The work measures 49 centimeters in height and 38 centimeters in width. As a genre scene, the artist employs oil paint to render a domestic interior with precise attention to material textures and light.
The composition features specific objects including a lace pillow, a parrot within a birdcage, a rummer, and a book, alongside depictions of a man and a woman. The handling of the medium allows for the detailed portrayal of these elements, characteristic of the artist's approach to genre art during the mid-seventeenth century.
History & Provenance
The oil painting Reading Aloud was created by the Dutch artist Quirijn van Brekelenkam in 1660. Executed on a panel support and measuring 49 by 38 centimeters, it depicts a domestic scene featuring a man, a woman, a lace pillow, a birdcage, a rummer, a parrot, and a book. The work's provenance includes ownership by Jacob Eduard van Heemskerck van Beest prior to its acquisition by the Rijksmuseum, where it is currently held.
Overview
Quirijn van Brekelenkam's oil painting Reading aloud, created in 1660, exemplifies Dutch Golden Age genre scenes. This work portrays a quiet domestic moment, featuring a man engaged in reading to a woman within a dimly lit interior. The artist, active in Leiden, was known for his meticulous depictions of daily life, a characteristic evident in the finely rendered details throughout the composition.
Context
Active during the Dutch Golden Age, Quirijn van Brekelenkam was a prominent genre painter in Leiden. His focus on domestic interiors and everyday activities aligns with the broader artistic trends of the period. It is believed he received training from Gerard Dou, a leading figure among the Leiden fijnschilders, whose influence on Brekelenkam's meticulous approach to detail is discernible in works such as Reading aloud.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Quirijn or Quiringh Gerritsz van Brekelenkam (1622/29, Zwammerdam – 1669/79, Leiden) was a Dutch Baroque genre painter.
