A girl at a kitchen window slicing a lemon

Laureys (attributed to) Goubau

Summary

A young woman offers the viewer a lemon slice, pierced by a knife. Surrounded as she is by symbols of seduction and love, her direct gaze is full of promise. Oysters were seen as aphrodisiacs; oranges were the fruit of love; lemons were associated with deceit, attractive on the outside, but bitter when peeled. The empty birdcage could symbolise lost virginity. The fighting putti below symbolise the battle between pure heavenly love and corrupt earthly love. Fictive all'antica bas-reliefs were a popular motif among 17th century Dutch and Flemish genre painters and portraitists. This one appears to be based on a bas-relief by François Duquesnoy, The Victory of Sacred Love Over Profane Love, 1630. The background motif, a young boy saying grace as his mother cuts him a slice of bread, is a scene of domestic duty and propriety in stark contrast to temptation and worldliness. The figure in Manchester's painting is highly idealised and refined, and is likely to be the work of an imitator. Goubau was a fijnschilder, or ‘fine painter', one of a group of Dutch painters who painted in minute detail, in an enamel-like finish that was achieved by nearly invisible brush strokes. Little is known about him. He was born in Antwerp and apparently worked there all his life. He was registered as a pupil of his father, Anton Goubau, at the Guild of St Luke in Antwerp in 1651/2 and became a master there in 1669/70.

Display Label

A Girl at a Kitchen Window Slicing a Lemon late 1600s Attributed to Laureys Goubau active 1651 - 1669 Oil on panel A voluptuous maiden offers the viewer a lemon slice, pierced by a knife. Her direct gaze is challenging and turns an innocent gesture into a bawdy one. She is surrounded by images of seduction and love; Oysters were seen as aphrodisiacs and oranges as the fruits of love. Lemons were associated with deceit, attractive on the outside but bitter when peeled. An empty birdcage symbolised lost virginity. The fighting cupids below often refer to the battle between heavenly and earthly love. In contrast, in the background, a mother gives her son breakfast and supervises his prayers before school: a picture of innocence compared to the worldly experience and temptations shown in the foreground. Assheton - Bennett bequest 1979.477