Provenance
Charles-Auguste-Louis-Joseph, duc de Morny [1811-1865], Paris; (his estate sale, at the Palais de la Présidence du Corps Législatif, Paris, 31 May-12 June 1865, no. 82); Josè Salamanca y Mayol [Marquès de Salamanca, d. 1866], Madrid; (sale, at his residence by Charles Pillet, Paris, 3-6 June 1867, no. 126); Baron Adolphe de Rothschild [1823-1900], Paris; by inheritance to his first cousin once-removed, Baron Maurice de Rothschild [1881-1957], Paris; (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London, New York, and Paris); sold July 1922 to Andrew W. Mellon, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.; deeded 28 December 1934 to The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, Pittsburgh; gift 1937 to NGA.
Accession Number
1937.1.58
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 80 x 75 cm (31 1/2 x 29 1/2 in.) | framed: 110.8 x 106 x 12.7 cm (43 5/8 x 41 3/4 x 5 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Andrew W. Mellon Collection
Tags
Painting Baroque (1600–1750) Oil Painting Canvas Dutch
Background & Context
Background Story
Gerard ter Borch the Younger (1617-1681) was a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his genre scenes of elegant society in the refined, precisely detailed manner that distinguishes his best work from the more anecdotal genre painting of his contemporaries. The Suitor's Visit from c. 1658 depicts a suitor visiting a young woman in her home in the refined, precisely detailed manner that makes ter Borch the most accomplished Dutch genre painter of the mid-17th century. The c. 1658 date places this in ter Borch's most productive period, when he was producing the genre scenes of elegant society that are his most accomplished works.
Cultural Impact
The Suitor's Visit is important in the history of Dutch genre painting because it demonstrates the refined, precisely detailed manner that ter Borch brought to genre subjects. The elegant interior, the refined costumes, and the precisely observed details of the suitor's visit show ter Borch's genre subjects to be among the most refined in Dutch painting—a refinement that elevates genre painting from anecdote to elegant social observation.
Why It Matters
The Suitor's Visit is ter Borch's refined genre at its most accomplished: a suitor visiting a young woman rendered with the precise detail and elegant social observation that make him the most refined Dutch genre painter. The c. 1658 painting elevates genre painting from anecdote to elegant social observation.
