A Woman Drinking with Two Men by Pieter de Hooch was created in 1658. The painting is in National Gallery London. The size of the work is 73,7 x 64,6 cm and is made of oil on canvas.
About the Work
There is a sense of mystery in this room. One of the figures has her back to us, so we can’t see the expression on her face or what she is doing with her left hand. Perhaps she is holding a jug with which she has topped up the wine glass in her other hand. Or perhaps she is clasping it to her chest while she sings. This musical interpretation is suggested by the way that the man behind the table seems to be using two clay pipes as a pretend violin and bow, while his companion gestures as though conducting the two of them in a duet.
Scenes left open to different interpretations are characteristic of seventeenth-century Dutch painting, and depictions of musical gatherings were especially ambiguous – they can represent innocent entertainments or something more salacious. Here we can’t even be sure whether this is a musical gathering, let alone whether or not it is an innocent one. In fact, Pieter de Hooch may have adjusted the painting in order to increase the uncertainty. Infrared photographs show that another man was originally included in the scene, standing very close to – and probably flirting with – the maid who carries some hot coals. It is possible that he was removed before the maid was added, but if not, by erasing him de Hooch softened the potential implication of dalliance in the picture.
Had the couple remained, they would have also emphasised the significance of the painting over the fireplace. It depicts the education of the Virgin Mary, kneeling before her mother, Saint Anne, and so represents the ultimate example of how to instil virtue in a young woman. Read more in National Gallery London…
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