The Love Letter
early 1670s
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
36 x 25 in. (91.4 x 63.5 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Mendelsohn, 1980
Accession Number
1980.203.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the serene glow of a Dutch interior from the early 1670s, Jacob Ochtervelt *The Love Letter* captures a moment of quiet intimacy. This oil on canvas painting, measuring 36 x 25 inches, depicts an elegant woman absorbed in reading a missive—likely a romantic note—accompanied by loyal dogs at her feet. Ochtervelt, a master of Dutch Golden Age genre scenes, viewers into affluent domestic spaces, blending everyday life with subtle elegance, much like his contemporaries Vermeer and Metsu. Painted during the prosperous Dutch Republic, the work reflects the era's fascination with private emotions...