A Servant Girl Scrubbing a Brass Cauldron 1637 - 1664

"A Servant Girl Scrubbing a Brass Cauldron" is a 17th-century Dutch genre painting by Thomas van Apshoven, depicting a domestic scene of a servant girl cleaning a large brass pot. The painting, housed in the SMK - Statens Museum for Kunst, captures the daily life of a working-class individual in a kitchen setting. The composition includes a variety of everyday objects, such as kitchen utensils, food, and furniture, creating a sense of realism and detail. Van Apshoven's use of chiaroscuro, a technique of contrasting light and dark, adds depth and dimension to the scene. The painting offers a glimpse into the everyday lives of ordinary people, highlighting the importance of domestic labor in 17th-century Dutch society.