"The Burgomaster of Delft and his daughter", 1655 - by artist Jan Steen 🇳🇱 ( c. 1626 - 1679)

"The Burgomaster of Delft and his daughter", 1655

This is a famous painting by Jan Steen (1626-1679) from the period when he lived in Delft.

 For a long time this picture was called "The Burgomaster of Delft and his daughter", but after careful research, the names of the seated man and girl were found.

 It is currently assumed that the man seated is the wealthy grain merchant Adolf Kroeser and the girl is his daughter Katharina.

 Both of them are standing in front of their house, while a woman with a child is begging.

 This theme will be repeated by the artist a few years later, when Steen finds himself in serious debt, due to the losses of his De Roskam brewery, and Adolf Kroeser comes to his aid.

 The scene of the picture takes place next to the same brewery, and behind we see the old Delft church.

 A portrait of Adolf and Katharina Kreser can be seen at the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands.  The year of its writing is 1655.

"The Burgomaster of Delft and his daughter", 1655 - by artist Jan Steen

" Lady's Toilet " - Circa 1660, Gerard Terborch ( 1617 - 1681 ) | ArtLiveAndBeauty

 

" Lady's Toilet " , by Artist Gerard Terborch ( 1617 - 1681 )

The second name is “Woman at the toilet”, the main character of the picture is an aloof-cold lady in a blue shower jacket and wrinkled silk dress, alabaster of open shoulders and unnaturally raised breasts. An ugly straight line of the chest and abdomen. A tall awkward figure, ugly and shapeless. Thin tows over the forehead. Purple shoulder line. Red hands and white elbows. There are paints and blush on the face, but it is difficult to say something in condemnation of the face. Compares the cold white lines of the cabinet columns and candles with the cold blue line of the lady's chest. The silk skirt bulges ugly. The ugliness of the lady is most expressive of all in the mirror: the drooping lower lip of the half-open stupid mouth, blind eyes with hanging eyelids, a terrible long nose, miserable strands of hair, a wide neck.

The lady is opposed by a boy, a maid and a slender dog. All three are in natural motion. There are warm elements in the clothes: the boy has reddish hair, red on the hips, on the knee pom-poms, bows on the shoes; the maid has warm colors on her dress, hands and face. And the face itself is of pleasant, natural proportions and naturally lit. Next to her, the lady seems like a long doll, which she dresses up. The boy, on the contrary, is very slender: a loose top and wide sleeves, close-fitting pelvic clothing, tight pants. He has thick hair and a pleasant face profile: looking up, a beautiful line of nose - lips - chin. The artist contrasts it with the repulsive profile of the lady in the mirror. In warm, brown-muted tones, the artist also gives a thick carpet on the table.

The base of the candlestick tells what the lady's waist line should look like. Ugliness adorns itself unskillfully; falseness, artificiality only emphasizes its unnaturalness and makes a repulsive impression.

Gerard Terborch or Gerard ter Borch (1617-1681) is one of the main masters of Dutch genre painting of the golden age. He was the first to discover the private world of city dwellers, capturing their daily activities at home [source not specified 749 days]. His realistic aesthetic was developed by the Delft masters Pieter de Hooch and Jan Vermeer .

"Lady's Toilet", by Artist Gerard Terborch, C. 1660 Canvas, oil. Size: 76.2 x 59.7 cm. Detroit Institute of the Arts