Interior With A Lady In Grey Washing Her Hand – Gerard Ter Borch (1617–1681)

In this genre painting by Ter Borch, the central woman is composed facing the viewer in a grey satin dress as she is assisted by her maid, who using a pitcher and a bowl washes her hands. Next to her a small Cavalier King Charles Spaniel sits just behind a dressing table. The inclusion of domestic objects, such as the bed and the jug creates a sense of familiarity that Ter Borch is acclaimed for.

Ter Borch’s use of earthy tones acts as a neutral background which highlights the light that bounces off each fold of the woman’s grey-blue stain dress, as well as the red of the hand-knotted carpet behind her. The depiction of middle eastern rugs on tables is typical of Dutch Golden age paintings which used them as signifiers of status and as an insight into the homes of the wealthy.

Ter Borch captures the intimacy and tranquility of the mundane everyday moment. While the lady’s body is depicted facing down towards the washing, she is preoccupied, her head turned away to confront the viewer. This composition is rare, with all other copies depicting the woman unaware of the viewer’s presence, as she faces the maid, consumed by the process of washing.

The motif of hand washing can be seen as a symbol of chastity. This is also suggested by the lap dog sitting demurely on the ground.

Gerard Ter Borch

Born in 1617, Gerard Ter Borch also known as Gerard Terburg was a Dutch Golden Age painter who primarily specialised in miniature paintings in the 1640s and later became renowned for genre scenes and for his establishment of a new type of small full-length portrait. Ter Borch, began his training with his father, the draughtsman Gerard Ter Broch the Elder before he travelled to Amsterdam where it is still disputed whether in which he studied under Willem Cornelisz Duyster or Pieter Codde. Later Ter Borch went on to study under the Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver Pieter de Molijn in Haarlem.

After moving to London in 1635, Borch traveled around Europe and was invited to visit Madrid where he received employment and the honour of Knighthood from Philip IV. A few years later, Ter Borch became obliged to return to the Netherlands at the request from the Statesman and Mayor of Amsterdam, Andries de Graeff.

Ter Borch had a profound influence on fellow Dutch painters such as Gerrit Dou and Johannes Vermeer and according to Art Historian Arthur K. Wheelock Jr, “established a new framework for subject matter, taking people into the sanctum of the home … [revealing] their inner lives”. His work is recognised by its particular attention to the quality of the costumes, with his acute skill in depicting satin and silk. Painting satin was considered an essential requirement for good painting in Seventeenth century Europe and it is likely that Ter Borch learnt this skill from Pieter Codde and Williem Duyster.

Museum
Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg
Berlin Museum
Louvre, Paris
Dresden Museum
Getty Centre, Los Angeles
Wallace Collection, London
Corcoran Gallery, Washington D.C

Literature

Adriaan E. Waiboer, Gabriel Metsu, New Haven and London, 2010,

Marc Restellini (ed.), Ilone et George Kremer, Paris, 2011

Stephan Koja, Uta Neidhardt, Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. (eds.), Johannes Vermeer. On Reflection, Dresden, 2021