A Boy and a Girl with a Cat and an Eel - Judith Leyster
Archival giclée
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Description
A charming Dutch Golden Age genre painting by Judith Leyster, depicting two children engaged in a playful, lighthearted moment with a cat and an eel.
Judith Leyster, a significant figure of the Dutch Golden Age, produced this genre painting during the mid-1630s. The composition captures two children in a moment of playful interaction, a common theme in her work. The boy, wearing a large hat, holds a cat, while the girl beside him brandishes an eel. Their expressions are animated, suggesting a narrative of childhood mischief or a lighthearted domestic scene.
Leyster employs a dark, neutral background that pushes the figures forward, allowing the viewer to focus on the textures of their clothing and the specific details of their faces. The white ruffs and collars provide a sharp contrast to the muted tones of their garments, demonstrating her technical skill in handling light and shadow. The brushwork is confident, characteristic of her style, which often shared similarities with Frans Hals, though she maintained a distinct approach to characterisation.
This work belongs to a category of Dutch genre painting that often carried moralising undertones or proverbs, though the exact meaning here remains open to interpretation. The presence of the eel and the cat may refer to contemporary sayings regarding the unpredictability of life or the nature of children. Regardless of the underlying message, the painting remains a clear example of Leyster's ability to capture human emotion and spontaneity. Her career was brief, yet she left a body of work that demonstrates her mastery of the genre tradition. This print captures the warmth and humour of the original, making it a fine addition to any collection of seventeenth-century European art.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
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- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
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Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
A Boy and a Girl with a Cat and an Eel - Judith Leyster
Artist Biography
Judith Leyster
She was one of the first women admitted to the Haarlem Guild of St Luke, in 1633, at twenty-four. She ran her own workshop and trained students. When one of her apprentices left to join Frans Hals's workshop without Guild permission, she sued Hals. The case was settled: the student's mother paid four guilders in damages. Leyster had asked for eight.
Her best paintings were made in the seven years between 1629 and 1636. The Jolly Toper, Self-Portrait, The Proposition: they are warm, confident, technically assured, painted in a style close to Hals's but with a subtlety of expression that is entirely her own. The Proposition, showing a woman by lamplight being offered money by a man leaning over her shoulder, is one of the most psychologically complex genre paintings of the Dutch Golden Age.
In 1636 she married the painter Jan Miense Molenaer. After the marriage, painting gave way to children and household management. She probably contributed to her husband's workshop, but she stopped signing work in her own name. The solo career lasted seven years.
After her death in 1660 her work was systematically attributed to Hals. The misattribution lasted until 1893, when a painting that had been admired for over a century as a Hals was recognised as hers.
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