‘The Visit’, by Pieter de Hooch
From Pieter de Hooch [20 Dec 1629 (baptized) – 24 Mar 1684], ‘The Visit’, ca. 1657
De Hooch situated this scene in a voorhuis, the street-facing room in a narrow Dutch row house that received the best light. The placement of the window and construction of the space reveal the close dialogue that De Hooch had with Vermeer at the time. But elements such as the plate of aphrodisiac oysters and canopied bed suggest that De Hooch most likely intended this particular scene to represent a brothel rather than a respectable home.
Via The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York