Party on a Terrace
by EECKHOUT, Gerbrand van den, Oil on canvas, 54 x 64 cm
Most of van den Eeckhout’s genre paintings date to the early 1650s, when he depicted several images of elegant courtship. A good example is his Party on a Terrace of 1652, which shows young people congregating on a classical portico before a park-like setting containing a statue of Cupid. This setting, the relaxed poses of the figures, their sartorial splendour, and even the artist’s vibrant palette, doubtlessly inspired by Flemish art, all convey an atmosphere of affluence and nonchalance.