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Pieter de Hooch

Pieter de Hooch

1629–1684 · Dutch Republic · Baroque

The story

Pieter de Hooch spent his best years in Delft in the 1650s, the same small Dutch city and the same decade as Johannes Vermeer, and for a while the two men were working out the same problem side by side. How do you paint ordinary rooms and courtyards so that light itself becomes the subject.

De Hooch's answer was the doorkijkje, the see-through doorway. A woman pauses in a brick courtyard, a maid crosses a sunlit room, and behind them an open door leads the eye to a second bright space beyond. These are unhurried scenes of middle-class life, sewing, sweeping, minding a child, held together by clean geometry and warm afternoon light.

Around 1660 he moved to Amsterdam and began painting richer, showier interiors for wealthier clients, and most people agree the work lost its quiet magic. He died there in 1684. For a long time it was said he ended his days in the city madhouse, until records showed that the inmate was his son of the same name.

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Works

47 works
A Woman Peeling ApplesA Woman Peeling ApplesPieter de Hooch, 1663The Courtyard of a House in DelftThe Courtyard of a House in DelftPieter de Hooch, 1658Woman with a Child in a PantryWoman with a Child in a PantryPieter de Hooch, 1656A Boy Bringing BreadA Boy Bringing BreadPieter de Hooch, 1663A Dutch CourtyardA Dutch CourtyardPieter de Hooch, 1658A Woman Preparing Bread and Butter for a BoyA Woman Preparing Bread and Butter for a BoyPieter de Hooch, 1661A Woman with a Basket of Beans in a GardenA Woman with a Basket of Beans in a GardenPieter de Hooch, 1651Cardplayers in a Sunlit RoomCardplayers in a Sunlit RoomPieter de Hooch, 1658Mother Lacing Her Bodice beside a CradleMother Lacing Her Bodice beside a CradlePieter de Hooch, 1661The Council Chamber in Amsterdam Town HallThe Council Chamber in Amsterdam Town HallPieter de Hooch, 1664A Mother's DutyA Mother's DutyPieter de Hooch, 1660Interior with Women beside a Linen CupboardInterior with Women beside a Linen CupboardPieter de Hooch, 1663Woman and a maid with a pail of fish in a courtyardWoman and a maid with a pail of fish in a courtyardPieter de Hooch, 1660A Couple Walking in the Amsterdam Town HallA Couple Walking in the Amsterdam Town HallPieter de Hooch, 1663Figures in a Courtyard behind a HouseFigures in a Courtyard behind a HousePieter de Hooch, 1663Interior with a Woman weighing Gold CoinInterior with a Woman weighing Gold CoinPieter de Hooch, 1659The VisitThe VisitPieter de Hooch, 1657A Woman Drinking with Two MenA Woman Drinking with Two MenPieter de Hooch, 1658Card Players in an Opulent InteriorCard Players in an Opulent InteriorPieter de Hooch, 1663Group portrait of an unknown family or companyGroup portrait of an unknown family or companyPieter de Hooch, 1658Interior with a Young CoupleInterior with a Young CouplePieter de Hooch, 1662Leisure Time in an Elegant SettingLeisure Time in an Elegant SettingPieter de Hooch, 1664Man Handing a Letter to a Woman in the Entrance Hall of a HouseMan Handing a Letter to a Woman in the Entrance Hall of a HousePieter de Hooch, 1670The empty glassThe empty glassPieter de Hooch, 1652A Man with Dead Birds, and Other Figures, in a StableA Man with Dead Birds, and Other Figures, in a StablePieter de Hooch, 1655