The Bedroom (Widener Collection) Explained

The Bedroom
Artist:Pieter de Hooch
Year:1658–1660
Material:Oil on canvas
Height Metric:51
Width Metric:60
City:Washington, D.C.
Museum:National Gallery of Art

The Bedroom (1658–1660) is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch painter Pieter de Hooch. It is an example of Dutch Golden Age painting and is part of the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

The painting was documented in 1910 by Hofstede de Groot, who wrote:

78. THE BEDROOM. Sm. 29, 55. This picture is similar in all respects to the picture at Karlsruhe (72), except that the little mirror hanging at the side of the bed has no ornament at the top and bottom. It has every sign of authenticity. Canvas, 20 inches by 23 inches. Mentioned by Waagen, ii. 71.

Sales:

Now in the collection of P. A. B. Widener, Philadelphia. Probably a second version of Mr. Widener's picture was included in the above-mentioned sales, for it is impossible that the picture was first in Holland, then in England, then in Holland again, and finally in England. This second version was not the picture at Karlsruhe, which, according to the director of that gallery, was in the possession of the Baden reigning house in the eighteenth century. Possibly it was an old copy which was in the hands of a London dealer about the year 1900. [Compare also the small picture in the Munro sale (86 and 84).][1]

This painting seems to have been a successful design for de Hooch as there are several variations on the subject in addition to the picture in Karlsruhe:

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. https://archive.org/stream/catalogueraisonn01hofsuoft#page/498/mode/1up entry 78 for The Bedroom