View through an Arcade
by HOUCKGEEST, Gerard, Oil on canvas, 131 x 152 cm
This large canvas represents a vision of a palace architecture. It could be mistaken for an idealized souvenir of Rome if all the figures were not in Dutch costume. Most of them appear to come from the upper levels of society. The painting may be placed within a tradition of imaginary architectural painting that flourished in London and The Hague between about 1610 and 1650.
The painting is signed and dated lower right, on the column base: G. Houckgeest fe: 1638.