Interior with a Mother delousing her Child

Dutch artist Pieter de Hooch painted this intimate domestic scene around 1658-1660, showing a mother carefully delousing her child's hair. The work is also known as "A Mother's Duty" and represents the artist's characteristic interest in quiet household activities. A mother and child sit before a box bed (bedstee) while a dog watches from the tiled floor, creating a scene of everyday care and attention.

The painting demonstrates de Hooch's mastery of light and geometry. Sunlight enters the room, illuminating the figures while the receding tiles create depth. De Hooch was a contemporary of Vermeer in Delft, and the two artists shared an interest in domestic subjects and the play of natural light through Dutch interiors. This work dates from de Hooch's most productive period in Delft, before his move to Amsterdam.

The painting entered the collection of Adriaan van der Hoop, one of the wealthiest men in the Netherlands and an avid art collector. He bequeathed over 250 paintings to the city of Amsterdam upon his death. Today, the work belongs to the Amsterdam Museum and is on long-term loan to the Rijksmuseum, where it remains one of the most beloved examples of Dutch Golden Age painting.