Drie kinderen met twee honden

About this artwork

Legaat van mevrouw H.L.P. Jonas van 's Heer Arendskerke-Lefèvre de Montigny

Art Historical Context

**Drie kinderen met tweeonden (Three Children with Two Dogs Jurriaan Andriessen 1771 Oil on canvas, h 116 cm Step into the charming world of 18th Dutch portraiture with Jurriaan Andriessen *Drie kinderen met honden*. Painted in 1771, this oil on canvas captures three children playfully accompanied by two dogs,oking the warmth and innocence of family life. Andriessen, a prominent Amsterdam painter from a dynasty of artists, specialized in lively group portraits and genre scenes, blending Rococo elegance with everyday tenderness. The intimate scale—standing at 116 cm high—suggests it was a cherished private commission, likely for a prosperous Dutch household. Oil on canvas was the gold standard for such works, allowing Andriessen to layer rich textures in fabrics, fur, and youthful expressions, bringing vivacity to the canvas. Created during the Dutch Enlightenment, when pet-inclusive portraits symbolized affection and status, this piece reflects shifting cultural values toward domestic joy amid urban prosperity. Now housed in the Rijksmuseum, it arrived as a bequest from mevrouw H.L.P. Jonas van 's Heer Arendskerke-Lefèvre de Montigny, preserving its legacy for visitors to admire. (198 words)

About the Artist

Jurriaan Andriessen · 1742–1819

A painter and draftsman known mostly for his painted wallpapers. He eventually owned his own successful factory; his designs followed the prevailing 18th-century taste for arcadian and native Dutch landscapes with small figures, and especially for decorative architecture. He was active in the Amsterdam Tekenacademie, first as a student, then as a teacher, and, by 1784, as co-director with Cornelis...