A Mother Delousing her Child’s Hair, Known as ‘A Mother’s Duty’ 1658
by Pieter de Hooch
A mother thoroughly inspects her child’s head for lice. She pursues her task in a sober Dutch interior, with
Delft blue tiles and a box bed. In the right foreground is a ‘kakstoel’, or potty chair. Through the doorway is a
glimpse of a sunny back room and a garden. De Hooch specialized in such ‘through-views’.
- Credit:
- Courtesy of Rijksmuseum
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