BURCH, Hendrick van der
(b. 1627, Naaldwijk, d. after 1666, Delft)

Woman with a Child Blowing Bubbles in a Garden

c. 1660
Oil on panel, 59 x 50 cm
Kunsthaus, Zurich

Van den Burch painting is heavily dependent on that of other Delft artists, especially Pieter de Hooch's. About the late 1650s he began to paint outdoor scenes which are unthinkable without the inspiration of De Hooch's courtyards. This debt is obvious in this picture showing a sunny garden with fenced-in flower beds in the back of a private house. The garden is enclosed by a high wall, which runs parallel to the picture plane. A doorway in the wall allows a glimpse beyond.