TERBORCH, Gerard
(b. 1617, Zwolle, d. 1681, Deventer)

Mother Combing the Hair of Her Child

1652-53
Oil on panel, 34 x 29 cm
Mauritshuis, The Hague

This painting is also known as Hunting for Lice. The models for the painting are probably the stepmother and one of the half-brothers of the artist.

The painting probably contains a moral, as maternal care, orderliness and cleanliness were the ideal qualities of a good housewife. In the seventeenth century, the lice comb stood for both a clean appearance and a pure character.




© Web Gallery of Art, created by Emil Krén and Daniel Marx.