Kitchen Interior

In July 1637 David Teniers married Anna Brueghel in Antwerp. She was the daughter of the painter Jan Brueghel the Elder, and Rubens, who had been her guardian since her father's death, stood witness at the wedding. Seven years later Teniers put her into this kitchen. She is the woman sitting lost in thought as she peels apples, and the boy holding the plate of peeled fruit is their eldest son, David. Teniers painted it on copper, a smooth surface that takes very fine detail, and the table shows why he wanted it. On it stands a swan pie dressed with signs of love, a garland of red and white roses and a small shield with a burning heart and two clasped hands. The Mauritshuis suggests the picture may have been meant as a tribute to Anna. The date is written as Ao 1644 on the drawing above the fireplace.