Park view with two young ladies next to a Hercules statue, after 1737

About the Work

Through a hole in the hedge, someone is eavesdropping on two ladies standing next to a statue of Hercules in a park. The meaning of the depiction is unknown. It may represent a scene from a play. Cornelis Troost worked intermittently as an actor and learned painting from an artist who also produced stage decorations. The loose and confident manner in which he handled the brush and body colour reveals the influence of that training.