[21] Klaske Muizelaar and Derek Phillips, Picturing Men and Women in the Dutch Golden Age: Paintings and People in Historical Perspective New haven: Yale University Press, 2003 , 142.
Next, the ceiling beams and floor tile pattern would be sketched, then the box is carefully checked for errors and dismantled for painting, and finally permanently constructed.
But why include a pensive man in this outdoor scene? Marriage, then, formed the basis not just of political culture but of civilized life as the Dutch imagined it.
Perhaps these were bought as a gift by a husband, eager to demonstrate his love and appreciation for the hard-working, loyal, and pious core of their household.
