We stand inside a church, although it is not clear which one; the picture is attributed to a follower of Bartholomeus van Bassen, who specialised in painting both real and fictional architecture. Van Bassen was appointed the official city architect of the The Hague in 1638, a role which no doubt inspired the paintings that he and his followers made.
This painting was previously attributed to Pieter Neeffs the Elder, whose name appears at the bottom of a lengthy inscription above the lavish tomb on the right, together with the date 1644. This signature has since been identified as a forgery, although the date might be accurate; its placement might have been prompted by the sumptuously dressed man pointing his cane towards the inscription. He is one of a number of figures who animates this scene, together with multiple dogs. If the interior was painted by Van Bassen himself, the figures would have been added by a different artist.
We stand inside a church, although it is not clear which one; the picture is attributed to a follower of Bartholomeus van Bassen, who specialised in painting both real and fictional architecture. Van Bassen was appointed the official city architect of the The Hague in 1638, a role which no doubt inspired the paintings that he and his followers made.
This painting was previously attributed to Pieter Neeffs the Elder, whose name appears at the bottom of a lengthy inscription above the lavish tomb on the right, together with the date 1644. This signature has since been identified as a forgery, although the date might be accurate; its placement might have been prompted by the sumptuously dressed man pointing his cane towards the inscription. He is one of a number of figures who animates this scene, together with multiple dogs. If the interior was painted by Van Bassen himself, the figures would have been added by a different artist.
