Portrait of an Elderly Man and Woman, and a Younger Woman, outside a House

Artist: Jan Van Bijlert (Dutch, 1597/1598 - 1671)

Original Dimensions: 50" x 39 3/4"

Location: National Gallery of Art, London

About Artwork: (Probably 1660s) "We don't know who these people are, but they wear the restrained costume of prosperous, Protestant Dutch people in the 1660s. Either woman could be the man’s wife; it has also been suggested that the younger woman is a maid, or the couple’s daughter. There may be some clues. The younger woman holds a rose, perhaps a symbol of love, and points out of the painting; she looks down with an intent expression. The man rests one hand on the globe, which is possibly a symbol of faith, and points at the fruit on the table with the other. The older woman holds a peach, perhaps symbolising truth. For some reason, half a globe on half a plinth appears to cut off the composition in an odd and rather unsatisfactory way – perhaps there was once a companion piece that completes the story. In its absence, you are left to decide on an interpretation of the symbols and, from them, the painting’s meaning." - (National Gallery of Art, London)