Echtpaar dat elkaar te lijf gaat c. 1652

This pen and watercolour drawing of a brawl between a husband and wife was made by Gesina ter Borch in the Netherlands in the 17th century. Images of domestic life were very popular at this time, and artists such as Jan Steen made a career out of humorous scenes of family conflict. However, those images were almost always made by men. Gesina ter Borch was an unmarried woman, and her perspective on the relationship between the sexes is quite different. This image lacks the boisterous fun of Jan Steen; instead, it is more critical of marital conflict and male violence. To better understand this image, we can look at popular literature from the time, such as Jacob Cats’s books on marriage. These sources, together with records from church and state institutions, help us understand the dynamics of gender relations in 17th-century Netherlands. Ter Borch's work encourages us to consider the social roles that shape artistic production.