# Interior of a Church

**Emanuel de Witte** (Dutch, c. 1617–1692)  
c. 1680  
oil on canvas  
Framed: 89.5 x 80.5 x 6.5 cm (35 1/4 x 31 11/16 x 2 9/16 in.); Unframed: 62 x 54 cm (24 7/16 x 21 1/4 in.)

Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1971.1. [The museum's record](https://clevelandart.org/art/1971.1).

## About this work

Although this spacious church interior is largely imaginary, Emanuel de Witte’s precise description of architectural forms convinces us that he depicted an actual place. To create a sense of familiarity, he included some specific architectural features from the Oude Kerk (Old Church) in Amsterdam. In the late 1500s, militant Protestant sects occupied Catholic churches in the Netherlands and stripped them of rich decorations and “idolatrous” images. The resulting spare, whitewashed interiors became a favorite subject of Dutch artists, who were intrigued by the interplay of light and shadow over the unadorned walls, and by the challenge of depicting perspectival space.

_Text from the Cleveland Museum of Art._

Emanuel de Witte painted this in about 1680, aged about 58. It is now at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [Emanuel de Witte](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/emanuel-de-witte)

Dutch, c. 1617–1692

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Culture: Netherlands
- The artist was about 58
- Real size: about 24 × 21 in (62 × 54 cm). The 18 × 24 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 17th century
- Movement: [Dutch Golden Age](https://www.ochreeditions.com/movements/dutch-golden-age)
- Colour: black
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/677.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/677/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/interior-of-a-church-cma-145450).