Rijksmuseum

De eerste schooldag

Date

c. 1720 - c. 1737

Medium

canvas, oil paint (paint)

Institution

Rijksmuseum

A mother, accompanied by a group of women, brings her daughter to school for the first time. That the women are Turkish can be seen from their colourful clothing and the yellow slippers that only Muslims could wear, according to sumptuary laws (dress codes). A servant carries the girl’s embroidery frame. Needlework was a favourite pastime of women in affluent Turkish circles. Women held in slavery did the household chores.

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