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The Visit

ca. 1657
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 614
De Hooch situated this scene in a voorhuis, the street-facing room in a narrow Dutch row house that receives the best light. The placement of the window and construction of the space reveal the close dialogue that de Hooch had with Johannes Vermeer at the time. But elements such as the plate of aphrodisiac oysters and canopied bed suggest that de Hooch most likely intended this particular scene to represent a brothel rather than a respectable home.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Visit
  • Artist: Pieter de Hooch (Dutch, Rotterdam 1629–1684 Amsterdam)
  • Date: ca. 1657
  • Medium: Oil on wood
  • Dimensions: 26 3/4 x 23 in. (67.9 x 58.4 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
  • Object Number: 29.100.7
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Woman with a Water Pitcher, and a Man by a Bed, Pieter de Hooch Dutch, Oil on canvas
Woman with a Water Pitcher, and a Man by a Bed
Pieter de Hooch
ca. 1667–70
A Couple Playing Cards, with a Serving Woman, Pieter de Hooch Dutch, Oil on canvas
A Couple Playing Cards, with a Serving Woman
Pieter de Hooch
ca. 1665–75
Leisure Time in an Elegant Setting, Pieter de Hooch Dutch, Oil on canvas
Leisure Time in an Elegant Setting
Pieter de Hooch
ca. 1663–65
Interior with a Young Couple, Pieter de Hooch Dutch, Oil on canvas
Interior with a Young Couple
Pieter de Hooch
probably ca. 1662–65
A Woman and Two Men in an Arbor, Pieter de Hooch Dutch, Oil on wood
A Woman and Two Men in an Arbor
Pieter de Hooch
ca. 1657–58

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