ARTWORKS

A Little Girl rocking a Cradle

Nicolaes Maes (1634–1693)

The National Gallery, London

A Little Girl rocking a Cradle

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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A little girl looks out at us, as if eager for us to tell her that she’s doing her job well – her smile a little nervous, the hand on the cradle clutching it tight. She looks no more than five years old, but she’s been given the responsibility of looking after the baby that sleeps soundly, button nose in the air. The baby’s mouth is open, and a tiny fist is almost hidden in cumbersome garments. The picture emphasises the expectations of a girl in the Dutch Republic. Marriage and motherhood awaited her – there was little or no alternative.

The warm browns and reds that Maes chooses, and the deep shadows and softly gleaming light on the little girl’s forehead and collar invite us in to this cosy, intimate place. The same colours and chiaroscuro –- the contrast between light and shade -– also tell of Maes’s training with Rembrandt, who was a master of the techniques needed to create the candlelit interior of a Dutch house at the time.

The National Gallery, London

London

Read more on The National Gallery, London
Title

A Little Girl rocking a Cradle

Date

about 1655

Medium

Oil on oak

Measurements

H 40.4 x W 32.6 cm

Accession number

NG153

Acquisition method

Bequeathed by Lord Farnborough, 1838

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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Artist or maker

Nicolaes Maes

1634–1693

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