TortureWorld

A seated woman looking at a child through a window | Jacobus Vrel | 1656 | Fondation Custodia, Paris

“The subject of this work is unique in 17th-century Dutch painting. No one else has ever depicted a woman tipping her chair forward yo look through a window. The woman makes contact with a girl on the other side of the glass. This is not an exterior window, but a window into another room - not unusual in 17th-century houses. Vrel struggled with the chair: he adjusted the length and exact position of the chair legs while he was painting it. He also had trouble with the perspective of the corners of the room. It is small details, such as the child behind the glass or the nail and its shadow on the white plastered wall, that make this a joy to look at. The way Vrel signed the work is also delightful - on a strip of paper lying seemingly unnoticed on the floor. It is a device he used often.