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In this painting a man and two women are drinking tea in a richly decorated interior. They can be identified as Jacob Cromhout (1671–1722) and his wife (and niece) Elisabeth Jacoba Cromhout (1683–1737), and her sister Maria Cromhout (1691-1726) in their Amsterdam home, Herengracht 366. The Cromhouts sit in the 'franse sael' (French salon) at a precious tea table, a special sideboard holds the tea supplies. The lady of the house takes a kettle from a high, slender stand and pours the hot water into a small brown earthenware teapot. They drink the exclusive and costly tea from tiny blue and white china cups. A charger with pastries and a big china bowl for waste are also on the table. In the second half of the 17th century drinking tea became all the rage, following the example set by the nobles in the circle of the court of the Prince of Orange.
Jacob Cromhout was 'heer' (lord) of Nieuwerkerk and 'hoofdingeland' (governor of a polder) of the Beemster, a great art connoisseur and cognoscente of splendid houses. In 1717 he commissioned the 21-year old painter Jacob de Wit to decorate his country house in the Beemster with a number of 'historiestukken' (historical representations). In 1718 Jacob Cromhout and his wife moved into their new home in Amsterdam, and decorated the rear facade with both their coats of arms. They refurbished the living room into a 'franse sael' with ceiling paintings by Jacob de Wit, who became instantaneously famous.
Matthijs Naiveu painted till 1721. As far as we know this is the last painting he made for the Cromhout family.
Title
Afternoon Tea in Holland
Date
c.1720
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 88.9 x W 73.6 cm
Accession number
SOPAG:97
Acquisition method
gift from John Henry Bell Esq., 1904
Work type
Painting
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