Image courtesy: Wikipedia Commons, public domain, and National Museum, Stockholm
Hi-res image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52132272
Artist: Pieter de Hooch, Dutch (1629–1684)
In Dutch 17th-century art domestic scenes of mothers and small children in an interior formed a popular genre, reflecting the emphasis on domestic duties and importance of family life. The women are engaged in daily tasks, taking care of the children, writing a letter, or other handy work, to stress their double role as excellent caregivers and managers of the household. In this richly appointed, partially lit room that offers a glimpse of a stately Amsterdam gracht, an elegantly dressed mother and girl are sitting near the fireplace. Next to them stands a cradle made of wicker, the preferred lightweight, easy maneuverable piece of children’s furniture of the time, present in most Amsterdam and New Amsterdam households.
Reference:
Location: Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interior_with_a_Mother_Close_to_a_Cradle
Medium: oil-on-canvas
Dimensions: canvas, 21 inches by 26 inches.
Object. number: National Museum, Stockholm: 473 (in the 1900 catalog)