Two Girls with Flowers by a Statue of Cupid 1713

Pieter van der Werff created this painting of two girls with flowers by a statue of cupid, most likely during the late 17th or early 18th century. The structure of this piece invites us to consider its symmetry, though it is subtly disrupted. The composition is neatly arranged within the frame of an arched window. On the left, a girl holds a basket, while on the right, a statue of Cupid stands, seemingly engaged with the flowers the girls offer. The artist uses light and shadow to create a sense of depth. The soft glow on the figures contrasts with the darker background, drawing our eyes to the central interaction. However, the rigid symmetry is softened by the draped cloth and the girls' engaging gazes. The interplay between the living and the sculpted, the real and the ideal, hints at the complex dialogues between nature, artifice, and desire that preoccupied artists and philosophers of the time. It is a work that revels in the beauty of form, yet subtly questions the boundaries of representation itself.