The Listening Servant
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “The Listening Servant” now? Collection: Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Not on view at present. Checked September 25, 2026.
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
Hubertus van Hove (1814-1865) was born in The Hague and was the son of the painter Bartholomeus Johannes van Hove (1790-1880) under whom he studied. He also trained with Hendrik van de Sande Bakhuyzen (1795-1860). He specialised at first in landscape painting but then turned increasingly to domestic interior scenes. In 1854 he moved to Antwerp where he worked with Hendrik Leys (1815-1869) and resided until his death.
Read on
This painting is a good example of the 19th-century revival of Dutch seventeenth-century genre painting, especially domestic interior scenes in the style of Pieter de Hooch, the master of this category in Leyden during the 17th century. 19th-century artists such as van Hove were however less attentive at the rendering of materials and textures and the whole painting is executed in a loose brushwork. The effect of light is preserved but in a golden hue that differs greatly from the white and cool lighting of genuine 17th-century Dutch genre scenes. The creased tablecloth on the table and the hat and cloak thrown on the chair shows how the maid has been distracted from her duty by the music.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- 1540-1869
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
