two women in interior, unknown maker from the Netherlands

Sometimes referred to as Dutch Romanticism, much Netherlandish art of the early 19th century, such as this painting of a woman and her maid, differs from that of the well-known German, British, and French Romantic artists as it lacks the same focus on individuality, imagination, and emotion. Instead, most Dutch art produced during this period fondly recalls that of the 17th-century economic and cultural Golden Age, when the Netherlands was at the height of its colonial power. In this intimate painting, the unknown artist depicts young women in an elegant interior space, a subject favored by old masters including Gerard ter Borch (1617–1681) and Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675).
This picture offers the viewer a glimpse into an otherwise private world and suggests titillating narrative possibilities. Are the women awaiting the arrival of a suitor? The mirror propped against the back of the chair in the foreground and the concerned expression worn by the maid as she fixes her employer’s hair imply preparations for such an occasion. The shadowy background and the artist’s fastidious depiction of the seated woman’s shimmering dress, itself perhaps evocative of earlier fashion trends, shows the particularly pronounced influence of ter Borch.
In the early 19th century, most American collections were just emerging, and eager connoisseurs frequently sought out smallscale “cabinet pictures” such as this as they attempted to document the history of European art. As such, many works falsely attributed to renowned old masters entered American collections during this period.