Portrait of a Couple with two Children and a Nursemaid in a Landscape

Portrait
of a couple with two children and a nursemaid in a landscape, 1667. This couple
had their portrait painted in a landscape. Their young son is holding the dog's
leash, and the nursemaid with the baby is seated at left. On the right a
herdsman is resting, as his sheep graze. In the second half of the 17th century
the pastoral delights of the countryside were glorified, resulting in paintings
of the kind we see here. Adriaan van de Velde was the son of the marine painter
Willem van de Velde the Elder and the brother of Willem van de Velde the
Younger, also a marine painter. Bequest of A. van der Hoop, 1854. On loan from
the City of Amsterdam, 1885.