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A Family Group

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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This very large painting was cut in half sometime before 1900. In 1915, the halves were rejoined in the National Gallery and some missing portions replaced. The way the family is grouped, with clear division between male and female, is significant. Father and son are together. They turn towards each other and a gesture from the father suggests that, one day, his son will inherit his role as the head of the family. The mother and three daughters are dutifully supportive, the mother still nurturing the two youngsters. The eldest girl, with the two bright red cherries, leans away, slightly apart. She is learning to become independent, ready one day to marry out of the family. The costumes suggest a date in the 1650s. The artist was possibly familiar with painting in Delft.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

A Family Group

Date

about 1655

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 178 x W 235 cm

Accession number

NG1699

Acquisition method

The left half presented by Charles Fairfax Murray, 1900; the right half bought, 1910

Work type

Painting

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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