Object Description
19th century Dutch oil painting of a musical scene
Dutch, Late 19th Century
Board: Height 28.5cm, width 24cm
Frame: Height 46.5cm, width 42cm, depth 7cm
This beautifully composed 19th-century oil painting offers an evocative glimpse into everyday domestic life, centring on a tender moment between a mother and her child. Set at the open window of a period townhouse, the woman gently cradles her toddler, who wears a traditional white cap and a 19th century toddler gown, clutching a small metal rattle. Dressed in refined mid-19th century fashion, the mother wears a vivid orange dress beneath a vibrant pelerine and a pink-ribboned lace cap—indicating her middle-class status and contemporary taste.
Adding a charming narrative layer, she reaches down to touch the cap of a young street musician serenading the household with his fiddle, bridging the divide between public and private worlds. The right side of the composition opens onto a sunlit, tree-lined street flanked by Dutch-style buildings, creating a striking contrast between the intimate interior and the vibrant life beyond.
Signed indistinctly in the lower left and housed in an intricately carved giltwood frame, this artwork is both decorative and historically insightful. Its rich palette, fine detailing, and poignant subject matter make it an ideal acquisition for collectors of Victorian-era or 19th-century European art.