VERKOLJE, Johannes I
(b. 1650, Amsterdam, d. 1693, Delft)

Two Children

1676
Oil on canvas, 47 x 39 cm
Private collection

Verkolje was a successful portrait and genre painter in Delft. The present intimate portrait, a characteristically fine work by the artist, depicts two children at an arched stone window, one holding a salver of fruit. The arched window or niche was a compositional device made popular by Gerrit Dou in the 1640s, which allowed the artist to define more clearly the space within the composition. This trompe l'oeil window also provided the artist with an opportunity to display his skills of illusionism.




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