Girl with a Distaff 1713 - 1771

"Girl with a Distaff" is an oil painting by Louis de Moni, completed between 1713 and 1771. The painting, housed at the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, features a young woman in a simple dress, holding a distaff and a spindle, tools used for spinning yarn. The painting is characteristic of de Moni's genre paintings, which often depicted scenes of everyday life and work. The intimate scale and realistic portrayal of the subject, set against a simple backdrop, captures the quiet dignity of rural labor. This artwork is a valuable example of Dutch genre painting, offering insight into the lives of ordinary people during the 18th century.