The Sick Girl

The Sick Girl is a domestic interior scene in which a seated young woman in a blue gown and white headdress sits ill, while a man in dark clothing with a ruff leans toward her and holds her hand, and a woman in an orange dress stands behind them; a small dog rests on a cushion in the foreground. The composition centers on the triangular interaction of the figures, with a red bed canopy to the left and a mantelpiece and doorway to the right, and light from the left illuminating faces and textiles. The palette blends rich blues, warm reds and ochers with dark clothing, and the painting displays the Dutch Golden Age genre style with careful observation of everyday life and narrative detail.