Girl with a Burning Torch c. 1760

"Girl with a Burning Torch" (c. 1760) by Johann Conrad Seekatz is a small-scale oil painting that depicts a young girl holding a burning torch in a darkened room. The light from the torch illuminates the girl’s face and hands, creating a dramatic contrast with the surrounding darkness. The painting is considered a genre scene, a popular style in 18th-century German art that depicted everyday life. Seekatz, known for his depictions of children and genre scenes, uses this intimate setting to explore themes of light and darkness, innocence and vulnerability. The painting is currently housed in the Städel Museum.