Church Interior with Figures
| Artist | Emanuel de Witte (Dutch, ca. 1617–1692) |
|---|---|
| Title | Church Interior with Figures (Katholische gotische Kirche) |
| Date | 1685 |
| Medium | Oil on panel |
| Dimensions | Framed: 28 3/8 × 23 3/16 × 2 1/4 in. (72.1 × 58.9 × 5.7 cm) Support (without outer strip): 18 1/8 x 15 in. (46 x 38.1 cm) |
| Credit Line | Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 84.21 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
Interior scene of a Catholic church with high arches and symbols of religious observance. Groups of figures are gathered in the bottom fifth of the composition, but they are very small compared to the scale of the architecture.
Despite Emanuel de Witte’s precise architectural rendering, the church portrayed here does not correspond to any known Amsterdam church. Certain details—including the large crucifix above the altar, the two monks at left, and the wall-mounted sculpture of the Virgin and Child at right—identify this imaginary space as Catholic. This raises questions about the market for the picture. Although Amsterdam was predominantly Protestant, a large Catholic minority in the city may have provided patronage for such imagery. De Witte began painting images of church interiors in Delft, where he lived from 1640 to 1651. In 1652, he moved to Amsterdam, possibly to take advantage of the larger market for architectural scenes.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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"Church Interior with Figures | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=84.21