The Courtyard of a House in Delft is a 1658 oil painting by Pieter de Hooch, located in the National Gallery, London.

[1] The painting depicts a quiet courtyard scene in which a young maid holds the hand of a small girl.

Additionally, a replica is installed above the entrance to Oude Delft 161, a residence of de Hooch in 1652.

[2] In the right section of the painting, a vine grows on a wooden structure and an open door leads through a brick wall at the far right.

[1] De Hooch’s painting explores themes of domesticity, specifically a woman’s role in the home.

The mother in the painting, for instance, is positioned in a more “formal” part of the house while the maid and child are in a more “natural” area.

The contents of the dish the maid is carrying, what the little girl is holding, and what lies beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs are left unclear.

[3] The painting shares a close relationship with another work from the same year, titled “Courtyard with an Arbour,” which is now in a private collection, after being sold for £4.4 million at a Christie's auction.

[3] While both paintings share the same date, The Courtyard of a House in Delft bears a stronger resemblance to de Hooch’s earlier interior scenes and may have been completed first.