Emanuel de Witte
Interior of the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft with the Tomb of William the Silent1653

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Emanuel de Witte
Northern Netherlands, 1617-1692
Title: Interior of the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft with the Tomb of William the Silent
Date Made: 1653
Medium: Oil on wood panel
Dimensions: Panel: 32 3/8 × 25 5/8 in. (82.23 × 65.09 cm) Framed: 39 1/2 × 33 × 3 1/4 in. (100.33 × 83.82 × 8.26 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. Carter
Accession Number: M.2003.108.5
Classification: Paintings
Collecting Area: European Painting and Sculpture
Curatorial Notes: The tomb of William the Silent, the hero of the Dutch resistance against Spain who was assassinated in 1584, was a popular tourist attraction in the mid-seventeenth century. By limiting the view into the vault of the church, Emanuel de Witte created an unusually bold composition that focuses attention on the monument and the people admiring it. The swept-up curtain that appears to cast a shadow across the painting celebrates the artist’s skill in creating a realistic illusion.
Selected Bibliography: Walsh, Amy L. The Mr. and Mrs. Edward Carter Collection of Dutch Paintings. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2019. https://archive.org/details/Carter_Collection_Dutch_Paintings (accessed May 23, 2022).