View of a church Interior

One of the most celebrated masters of interior painting was Emanuel de Witte (1616/1617-1692), the early stage of whose work was also associated with Delft. His later years were spent in Amsterdam. The church interiors of Emanuel de Witte are full of disquiet, the urge to venture beyond what is represented, a sense of unfulfil-ment. The Protestant churches of Holland contained no decoration. De Witte often depicted imaginary church interiors, half empty, with a hollow echo, melting light and arcades receding upwards. In his pictures we are always led inside the church by the figure of a parishioner who is shown from the back pointing to the interior that hold a secret.