Quiringh van Brekelenkam

Quiringh van Brekelenkam painted the everyday life of ordinary Leiden households and workshops: tailors at their tables, women scaling fish or cooking, couples eating by the fire, quiet conversations between neighbours. His interiors are plain and honest, with warm browns and soft light, closer to real working life than the polished scenes of some of his Leiden contemporaries.

He was born in Zwammerdam in the 1620s and probably studied with Gerrit Dou, the leading fine painter of Leiden. He joined the Leiden painters’ guild in 1648 and remained in the city, marrying twice and raising a large family. His last known painting dates from 1668.

Interior of a Tailor’s Shop shows one of his favourite subjects.