Interior of the Pieterskerk in Leiden
Artist
Hendrik Cornelisz. van Vliet
(Dutch, 1611/12 - 1675)
Date1653
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsFrame: 62 7/8 × 63 3/4 × 2 7/8 in. (159.7 × 161.9 × 7.3 cm)
Image: 55 1/4 x 55 1/4 in. (140.3 x 140.3 cm)
Image: 55 1/4 x 55 1/4 in. (140.3 x 140.3 cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineBequest of John Ringling, 1936
Object numberSN288
Van Vliet specialized in the depiction of church interiors. In this painting he portrayed the Pieterskerk in the Dutch town of Leiden from one of the side aisles, looking past the crossing to the northeast, an oblique angle which emphasizes the complexity of the space. The freshly-dug tomb in the center foreground may have been intended as a reminder of death and the promise of everlasting life; the dog favoring the column at right symbolizes the animal’s lack of understanding of these weighty matters.
On View
On viewLocation
- Museum of Art, Gallery 14, Wall West
