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A child teasing a cat is a frequent subject in Dutch art; it refers to the idea that (sexual) teasing can lead to a painful scratching. That this mischievous girl is partially disrobed makes the consequences more obvious and erotic-since her bared skin teases the viewer as well. Her voluptuousness and apparent cheerfulness suggest a brothel, not the everyday life of children.Van Bijlert, a leading master in Utrecht, owes his sensual treatment of the human body to the influence of his teacher Abraham Bloemaert and the paintings by the great Italian master Caravaggio that he saw while in Rome (1621-24/25), such as the latter's melancholic, starkly sensual "Musicians," from which he apparently adapted the shoulder and arm of the boy at the right for this girl.

Page data

Page
1
Source index
0
Type
photo
Media ID
c9e547305f1512c5
Size
unknown

Document data

ID
38664
Core
obj
Type
drawing
DTO data
{
    "id": "38664",
    "sourceUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/37.2659",
    "contentType": "drawing",
    "stage": "normalized",
    "title": "Girl Teasing a Cat",
    "description": "A child teasing a cat is a frequent subject in Dutch art; it refers to the idea that (sexual) teasing can lead to a painful scratching. That this mischievous girl is partially disrobed makes the consequences more obvious and erotic-since her bared skin teases the viewer as well. Her voluptuousness and apparent cheerfulness suggest a brothel, not the everyday life of children.Van Bijlert, a leading master in Utrecht, owes his sensual treatment of the human body to the influence of his teacher Abraham Bloemaert and the paintings by the great Italian master Caravaggio that he saw while in Rome (1621-24/25), such as the latter's melancholic, starkly sensual \"Musicians,\" from which he apparently adapted the shoulder and arm of the boy at the right for this girl.",
    "provenance": "Daphne Alazraki, Old master Paintings, New York; Wallters Art Museum, Baltimore, 1993, by purchase.",
    "date": "ca. 1630 (Baroque)",
    "citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/37.2659",
    "rightsUri": "CC0",
    "language": "en",
    "genreSpecific": [
        "Painting & Drawing",
        "paintings"
    ],
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    "largeImageUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PL1_37.2659_Fnt_TR_T97IIA.jpg",
    "imageCount": 1,
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    "source": "import",
    "dimensions": [
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            "units": "cm",
            "width": 41.5,
            "height": 33
        }
    ],
    "dimensionsRaw": "H: 16 5/16 x W: 13 in. (41.5 x 33 cm)",
    "style": "Baroque"
}

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Document identity
{
    "localId": "38664",
    "label": "Girl Teasing a Cat",
    "core": "obj",
    "dtoType": "drawing",
    "citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/37.2659"
}
Document source metadata
{
    "id": "38664",
    "sourceUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/37.2659",
    "contentType": "drawing",
    "stage": "normalized",
    "title": "Girl Teasing a Cat",
    "description": "A child teasing a cat is a frequent subject in Dutch art; it refers to the idea that (sexual) teasing can lead to a painful scratching. That this mischievous girl is partially disrobed makes the consequences more obvious and erotic-since her bared skin teases the viewer as well. Her voluptuousness and apparent cheerfulness suggest a brothel, not the everyday life of children.Van Bijlert, a leading master in Utrecht, owes his sensual treatment of the human body to the influence of his teacher Abraham Bloemaert and the paintings by the great Italian master Caravaggio that he saw while in Rome (1621-24/25), such as the latter's melancholic, starkly sensual \"Musicians,\" from which he apparently adapted the shoulder and arm of the boy at the right for this girl.",
    "provenance": "Daphne Alazraki, Old master Paintings, New York; Wallters Art Museum, Baltimore, 1993, by purchase.",
    "date": "ca. 1630 (Baroque)",
    "citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/37.2659",
    "rightsUri": "CC0",
    "language": "en",
    "genreSpecific": [
        "Painting & Drawing",
        "paintings"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PL1_37.2659_Fnt_TR_T97IIA.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PL1_37.2659_Fnt_TR_T97IIA.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PL1_37.2659_Fnt_TR_T97IIA.jpg",
    "imageCount": 1,
    "pageCount": 1,
    "source": "import",
    "dimensions": [
        {
            "units": "cm",
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            "height": 33
        }
    ],
    "dimensionsRaw": "H: 16 5/16 x W: 13 in. (41.5 x 33 cm)",
    "style": "Baroque"
}
Document source extras
{
    "cul": "Dutch",
    "inscriptions": "[Signature] J.v bijlert fe",
    "med": "oil on panel",
    "creator_ids": [
        "6307"
    ],
    "collection_ids": [
        "BAR"
    ],
    "exhibition_ids": [
        "963",
        "948"
    ]
}
Page context
{
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    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/raw/PL1_37.2659_Fnt_TR_T97IIA.jpg",
    "mediaId": "c9e547305f1512c5"
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