The Terrace

In this work, an open window shaded by a grape arbor reveals couples drinking and chatting. Musical instruments, songbooks, and military gear hint at worldly pursuits and amorous dalliance, but the chief subject of the painting seems to be the illusionism of the near and far objects framed by the window. Optical problems were particularly intriguing to painters working in Delft, among them Carel Fabritius, Johannes Vermeer, and Pieter de Hooch. The author of this work has not yet been identified; one proposal is Ludolf de Jongh (1616–1679), a talented and eclectic artist from the neighboring city of Rotterdam.

Credit: Robert A. Waller Memorial Fund