Voorhuis (painting)

Voorhuis painting (English: entrance hall painting) was a Dutch painting genre of the 17th century, typically portraying a view from inside a wealthy house with affluent residents interacting with patrons on the outside through the front doorway.

Voorhuis describes a front room,[1] vestibule,[2] or foyer in Dutch.

The style may have developed as a result of the "good light" which streamed through the front windows of a house, while the side walls of Dutch townhouses were often windowless.

Many of Ochtervelt's voorhuis pictures illustrated the trade between residents and local peddlers and food vendors.

[4] Het Binnenhuis by Pieter de Hooch is considered an excellent example of the voorhuis style.