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Portrait of a Family Playing Music
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The identity of the sitters remains unknown, although the marble floor and mantelpiece, the Transylvanian prayer rug on the table, and the silk clothes all point to the family’s considerable wealth. Furthermore, the richly carved chest at the right supports Chinese vases and Japanese lacquered boxes, a reference to the flourishing Dutch trade with Asia. Music making often took place at home, and its appearance here also signifies the harmoniousness of the family.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit linePortrait of a Family Playing Music, 1663. Pieter de Hooch (Dutch, 1629–1684). Oil on canvas; framed: 124.5 x 142.5 x 7 cm (49 x 56 1/8 x 2 3/4 in.); unframed: 98.7 x 116.7 cm (38 7/8 x 45 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Hanna Fund, 1951.355
