A Mother Delousing her Child’s Hair, Known as ‘A Mother’s Duty’

A small box-bed (also known as a closed bed, close bed, or enclosed bed; less commonly, shut-bed) is an enclosed bed made to look like a cupboard, half-opened or not. The form originates in western European late medieval furniture. The box-bed is closed on all sides by panels of wood. One enters it by moving curtains, opening a hinged door or sliding doors on one or two slides. The bed is placed on short legs to prevent moisture due to a dirt floor. In front of the box-bed is often a large oaken chest, the same length as the bed.

This was always the 'seat of honour,' and served also as a step for climbing into the bed. It was also used to store clothing, underwear and bedding the rest of the time.

Executed in height 52.5 cm x width 61 cm, measuring width: 61; height: 52.5, the surface rewards close looking. Pieter de Hooch builds the composition through layered glazes and a tightly controlled palette, letting cool shadows recede so that the warm, lit passages step forward. The brushwork shifts from the precise to the almost dissolved — a hallmark of mature Baroque practice.

“A silence so complete it becomes its own witness.”