Jacob Ochtervelt (Dutch, 1634–1682)
Family Portrait, c. 1670–75
Oil on canvas
The Norton Simon Foundation, F.1969.12.P 

In this dynamic family portrait, a young girl gestures toward her mother, a motion that creates a connection between the two figures. The woman wears a shimmering gown inspired by aristocratic French fashion, displaying a piece of fruit in her delicate fingers. Among other things, fruit symbolized the “cultivation” of well-behaved children, which was the responsibility of affluent mothers. Artists used scenes of dog training to underscore this role by showing children mirroring their mother’s instruction as they commanded their pets. Here, however, the girl resists the propriety modeled by her mother as she sweeps into the room with a dog dancing at her side. The leading ribbons attached to the back of the girl’s dress, which guided children as they learned to walk (Figure 1), are decorative rather than functional as they trail behind her. The portrait was undoubtedly created according to the family’s preferences, suggesting that the girl’s parents wanted to capture her exuberant nature.