Pieter de Hooch

Pieter de Hooch, self-portrait

Years of life:	1629 – 1683
Artist's Teachers:	Nicolaes Berchem
Art Movement:	Baroque, Dutch Golden Age
Painting School:	Dutch School, Delft School

Genre:	Genre scenes , Portrait
Country:	Netherlands
Century:	XVII

Pieter de Hooch was a popular Dutch master and one of the most famous masters of genre painting. He is known to have died in a madhouse, although we know little about his life. His best and most famous works belong to his years in Delft (1654 – c. 1660/1661) and usually depict sunny courtyards and interiors of homes of the wealthy middle-class. Until 1655 he painted lowlife peasant and soldier scenes. From Delft he moved to Amsterdam and after 1665 began to paint rich interiors with idyllic scenes of daily life. His late work (1670s) is feeble but his best work bears a similarity to that of Vermeer, who was his talented contemporary in Delft.

Observe how he enjoys the play of light. He depicts multiple rooms, square slabs of floor, and courtyards to create the illusion of a space flooded with sunlight without overwhelming the foreground. He uses carefully worked-out geometric perspective, usually with a single vanishing point. He also makes discreet use of symbols and emblems.

Pieter de Hooch’s major works are The Pantry, c. 1658 (Amsterdam: Rijksmuseum); Two Soldiers and a Woman Drinking, c. 1658–60 (Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art); A Dutch Courtyard, c. 1660 (Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art).

References:

Robert Cumming. Art: complete encyclopedia. – 512 p. – Moscow: Astrel, 2005.

Artworks:

Courtyard of a house in Delft

1658

Courtyard of a house in Delft • 1658
The visit

1657

The visit • 1657
Mother Lacing Her Bodice beside a Cradle

1661

Mother Lacing Her Bodice beside a Cradle • 1661
A Woman with a Baby in Her Lap, and a Small Child

1658

A Woman with a Baby in Her Lap, and a Small Child • 1658
Soldiers Playing Cards

between 1657 and 1658

Soldiers Playing Cards • between 1657 and 1658
A Dutch Courtyard

between 1659 and 1660

A Dutch Courtyard • between 1659 and 1660
Interior with Figures

between 1663 and 1665

Interior with Figures • between 1663 and 1665
Tavern scene with maid trying to fill the glass of a cavalier

1652

Tavern scene with maid trying to fill the glass of a cavalier • 1652
Two women with a child in court

1657

Two women with a child in court • 1657
The Council Chamber of the Burgomasters

1665

The Council Chamber of the Burgomasters • 1665
Woman with basket of beans in the kitchen garden

1651

Woman with basket of beans in the kitchen garden • 1651
The Courtyard of a House in Delft

1658

The Courtyard of a House in Delft • 1658
A woman and a child on a Bleichwiese

1658

A woman and a child on a Bleichwiese • 1658
Nursing mother

1659

Nursing mother • 1659
Portrait of a family of musicians

1663

Portrait of a family of musicians • 1663
Happy drinker

1650

Happy drinker • 1650
Woman with infant, serving maid with child

1663

Woman with infant, serving maid with child • 1663
Mother Lacing Her Bodice beside a Cradle, detail

1661-1663

Mother Lacing Her Bodice beside a Cradle, detail • 1661-1663
The morning toilet of a young man

1656

The morning toilet of a young man • 1656
Woman weighing gold coins

1664

Woman weighing gold coins • 1664
The Card Players

1664

The Card Players • 1664
Portrait of a Family in a Courrtyard in Delft

between 1658 and 1660

Portrait of a Family in a Courrtyard in Delft • between 1658 and 1660
A Mistress and her Maid

1665

A Mistress and her Maid • 1665
Paying the Hostess

1658

Paying the Hostess • 1658
Woman and maid in a Courtyard

1660

Woman and maid in a Courtyard • 1660
Card Players at a Table

1674

Card Players at a Table • 1674
Interior with a Young Couple

1662

Interior with a Young Couple • 1662
Woman with a Water Pitcher, and a Man by a Bed

1667

Woman with a Water Pitcher, and a Man by a Bed • 1667
Paying the Hostess

1670

Paying the Hostess • 1670
The Visit

1657

The Visit • 1657
The Jacott-Hoppesack Family

1670

The Jacott-Hoppesack Family • 1670
Figures in a Courtyard behind a House

1663-1665

Figures in a Courtyard behind a House • 1663-1665
Man Handing a Letter to a Woman in the Entrance Hall of a House

1670

Man Handing a Letter to a Woman in the Entrance Hall of a House • 1670
A Woman with a Child in a Pantry

1658

A Woman with a Child in a Pantry • 1658
A Man Smoking and a Woman Drinking in a Courtyard

1658-1660

A Man Smoking and a Woman Drinking in a Courtyard • 1658-1660
Interior with Women beside a Linen Cupboard

1663

Interior with Women beside a Linen Cupboard • 1663
The Council Chamber in Amsterdam Town Hall

between 1661 and 1670

The Council Chamber in Amsterdam Town Hall • between 1661 and 1670
A Woman with a Basket of Beans in a Garden

1651

A Woman with a Basket of Beans in a Garden • 1651
Mother at the cradle

1661-1663

Mother at the cradle • 1661-1663
A Mother Delousing her Child’s Hair, Known as ‘A Mother’s Duty’

1658-1660

A Mother Delousing her Child’s Hair, Known as ‘A Mother’s Duty’ • 1658-1660
Self-portrait of the painter Pieter de Hooch(?). Man's portrait, bust, with a column on the right.

between 1648 and 1649

Self-portrait of the painter Pieter de Hooch(?). Man's portrait, bust, with a column on the right. • between 1648 and 1649
Interior with a Mother close to a Cradle

1665

Interior with a Mother close to a Cradle • 1665
Girl washing clothes

1660s

Girl washing clothes • 1660s
A Musical Party

1675

A Musical Party • 1675
Elegant couple playing music on a terrace, with a maidservant pouring wine

1680-1684

Elegant couple playing music on a terrace, with a maidservant pouring wine • 1680-1684
A Woman with a Serving Girl

1675

A Woman with a Serving Girl • 1675
Woman Peeling Vegetables in the Back Room of a Dutch House

1657

Woman Peeling Vegetables in the Back Room of a Dutch House • 1657
Two Soldiers and a Serving Woman with a Trumpeter

between 1654 and 1655

Two Soldiers and a Serving Woman with a Trumpeter • between 1654 and 1655
Courtyard in Delft at Evening: a Woman Spinning

1656 - 1657

Courtyard in Delft at Evening: a Woman Spinning • 1656 - 1657
Bringer of Bad News

1655

Bringer of Bad News • 1655
Soldier Offering a Woman a Glass of Wine

1653

Soldier Offering a Woman a Glass of Wine • 1653
A Woman Preparing Bread and Butter for a Boy

1660 - 1663

A Woman Preparing Bread and Butter for a Boy • 1660 - 1663
Tric-trac player

1652-1654

Tric-trac player • 1652-1654
A woman with a pair of scales

1664

A woman with a pair of scales • 1664
The Bedroom

1658-1660

The Bedroom • 1658-1660
Cardplayers in a Sunlit Room

1658

Cardplayers in a Sunlit Room • 1658
Merry Company with a mandolin and a dog

between 1673 and 1675

Merry Company with a mandolin and a dog • between 1673 and 1675
Portrait of a unknown man and woman

1684

Portrait of a unknown man and woman • 1684
A Woman with a Cittern and a Singing Couple at a Table

1667-1670

A Woman with a Cittern and a Singing Couple at a Table • 1667-1670