Teaching a Child to Walk

"Teaching a Child to Walk" is an enchanting oil painting by the Dutch artist Pieter de Hooch, proudly displayed in the Museum der bildenden Künste. This piece is a quintessential example of Dutch Golden Age artistry.

In the painting, a woman in an orange dress sits in a cozy room, holding a basket of apples on her lap, with a dish of peeled apples nearby. A servant girl, her skirt neatly tucked up, guides a child with leading strings, who eagerly reaches for an apple offered by the mother. The room is rich in detail, boasting a fireplace adorned with Chinese porcelain vases and a picture hanging above it.

In the foreground, an Oriental carpet partially covers the floor, with a tray holding a mug and glass next to a half-open window. Above the woman’s head, a mirror reflects the room, which is bathed in warm yellow light. Pieter de Hooch signed the painting on the window frame, marking it with his distinctive "P de Hooch."

A charming detail is the child's "valhoed" or falling cap, a recurring motif in Hooch's work. This same child, wearing the distinctive cap, appears in another of Hooch's paintings, "Interior with a Child Feeding a Parrot" and is also seen tugging on a maidservant’s skirt in yet another piece by the artist.