Updated October 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 82 works by Pieter Codde in our catalogue
In short
To the gallery's eye, Pieter Codde's most famous painting is Double Portrait of a Married Couple (1634), whose original hangs in the Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery, The Hague. Venus Mourning over Adonis (1650) and Family Group (1642) complete the trio every eye recognises. Of the 82 works by Pieter Codde in our catalog, the gallery presents the 75 most famous below, each original with its year, its museum and what makes it unique.
Pieter Codde executed the Double Portrait of a Married Couple in 1634. This oil on panel work presents two figures positioned side by side. The subjects are dressed in formal, high-status attire, characterized by ruffled collars and white cravats. They are situated before a doorway, a setting that provides a structured architectural backdrop to the pair.
In this oil painting on panel, a group of figures is arranged in a dense, pyramidal structure. At the center of the composition, the pale skin of a lifeless male figure, Adonis, is positioned against a dark, shadowed background. Venus leans over his body, her form integrated into the central mass of the mourning group. Surrounding the central pair, several female attendants are depicted in various states of grief. Their…
Family Group (Moore) – A Window Into Domestic Tranquility The sculpture “Family Group” by Henry Moore, created in 1950, stands as a testament to the enduring fascination with familial bonds and the exploration of human form through abstraction. Unlike traditional portraiture, Moore eschewed meticulous detail, opting instead for a simplified representation that prioritizes gesture and emotional resonance—a deliberate departure from the conventions of his time. The piece’s impact transcends mere…
Departure with Two Soldiers and a Woman is a genre painting executed by the Dutch artist Pieter Codde. Created in 1632, this work belongs to the era of the Dutch Golden Age, a period when the Netherlands saw a significant flourishing of domestic and social scenes. The painting captures a specific, quiet moment of interaction, rendered with the technical precision characteristic of the seventeenth-century tradition.
The tension of a sudden confrontation unfolds in A Prisoner Kneels Before an Officer, a work by the Dutch painter Pieter Codde. This scene captures a moment of high drama, known also by the title Travellers interrogated by an officer. The narrative weight of the piece shifts depending on the language used to describe it, appearing in other records as Verhaftete Reisende vor einem Offizier (Der Überfall).
A man bows deeply toward a group of women, his back turned to the viewer, creating a central axis of movement within a quiet Dutch interior. To the left, three women gather around a table draped in white linen, their postures suggesting a moment of social interaction or perhaps a formal greeting. A woman stands to the right, positioned near the heavy folds of a large, draped four-poster bed. The…
The painting titled Company of Music-Makers is a work by the Dutch artist Pieter Codde. Created about 1633, it captures a specific moment of domestic harmony. The artist, a specialist in genre works, guardroom scenes, and portraits, focuses here on the rhythmic life of a musical gathering.
In this portrait, Portrait of a Man with a Watch by Pieter Codde, we encounter a middle-aged man presented within an oval composition. He is depicted from the chest up, his gaze directed slightly toward the viewer with a focused, steady expression. The subject wears a large, dark, wide-brimmed hat that frames his face, while a black doublet with subtle textures suggests the weight of heavy fabric. A prominent white…
The air in the guardroom hangs thick with the scent of stale ale and damp wood. Shadows cling to the corners of the room, swallowing the back wall and leaving only a sliver of light to dance across the scene. A central wooden table anchors the composition, its surface worn by the weight of heavy mugs and the restless movements of men. One figure lies slumped upon the floor, a…
In the Portrait of Joan van Werkhoven ( -1665) by Pieter Codde, a single figure occupies the vertical space, positioned slightly off-center against a dark and atmospheric background. The subject meets the viewer at eye-level, creating an immediate sense of presence. This person is dressed in an elaborate period costume, featuring a wide-brimmed hat and a large, ruffled lace collar that catches the light. A voluminous doublet or cloak adds…
Company playing backgammon in an interior1630 · Museum of Fine Arts Ghent (MSK)
12
Portrait of a painter in front of his easel1630 · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
13
A Conversation1628 · Nationalmuseum
14
Company Making Music1625 · Nationalmuseum
15
Elegant company conversing and singing in an interior1633 · Staatliches Museum Schwerin
16
Elegant company conversing and singing in an interior1630 · Staatliches Museum Schwerin
17
Portrait of a richly dressed young lady, full-length, before a draped table1635
18
7 persons in a room, chatting1624
19
Travellers interrogated by an offiece1624
20
Conversation Piece1638 · Bavarian State Painting Collections
21
musical company1638 · Bavarian State Painting Collections
22
Portrait of a Man1658 · Museum of Fine Arts Ghent (MSK)
23
Interior of Guardroom1652 · Petit Palais
24
Soldiers ransacking a house1649 · Frans Hals Museum
25
Portrait of a Family1661 · Nationalmuseum
26
An Artist in his Studio1650 · Hallwyl Museum
27
Portrait of a Family1665
28
The Judgement of Mida with Apollo and Pan (Ovidius, Metamorphosis II:146-193)1670 · Museum der bildenden Künste
29
Soldiers Breaking into a Peasant's Cottage1645 · Statens Museum For Kunst
30
An Artist in Front of the Easel1637 · Hermitage Museum
31
Actors' Changing Room1630 · Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
32
DAME A SA TOILETTEThe Louvre
33
Art-lovers in a Painter's Studio1630 · Staatsgalerie
34
The Dancing Lesson1627 · The Louvre
35
Tric-Trac Players1628 · Mauritshuis
36
Interior with Musicians Seated around a Table (detail)1627
37
An Elegant Company1632 · Art Institute of Chicago
38
A Woman holding a Mirror1625 · National Gallery
39
The Young Draughtsman1630 · Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts
40
Portrait of a young Man standing1625 · The Ashmolean Museum of Art And Archaeology
41
Dutch Cavaliers and Their Ladies Making Music1631 · Bristol Museum - Art Gallery
42
Young Scholar in His Study: Melancholy1630 · Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille
43
Portrait of a Man, a Woman and a Boy in a Room1640 · National Gallery
44
Merry Company with Masked Dancers1636 · Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery
45
Merry Company1633 · Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
46
Halt of Travellers Among Ruins1649
47
Landscape with a Lake and Castle1666
48
Portrait of a Man, Holding a Scroll
49
Woman in front of the mirrorNational Museum in Warsaw
50
Man at the tableNational Museum in Warsaw
51
Portrait Of A ChildBavarian State Painting Collections
52
LE CONTENTEMENT DE PEU
53
Soldat avec une femme
54
Lady Seated at Virginals
55
LA CONVERSATION. SCENE GALANTEPalais des Beaux-Arts de Lille
56
Portrait d'hommeMusée Des Beaux
57
Joueuse de théorbeMusée Des Beaux
58
Scène de cabaret
59
Gallant Company1633 · Rijksmuseum
60
Merry Company1633 · Akademie Der Bildenden Künste Wien
61
Interior with Musicians Seated around a Table1627
62
The Meagre Company1633 · Rijksmuseum
63
Musical Company
64
Young Scholar In His Study
65
The Meagre Company
66
A Woman holding a Mirror
67
The Music PartyCity Museum and Art Gallery
68
Portrait of a Man, a Woman and a Boy in a Room
69
Lute PlayerPhiladelphia Museum of Art
70
An elegant company making music in an interior
71
A Merry Company in an Interior
72
Elegant company making music
73
Travelers resting on a path
74
Family portrait with husband, wife and two daughters seated at a table draped in red cloth, a son playing a lute, another son holding a fiddle beside a lady playing the virginal, a maidservant pouring wine by the window, and a dog resting on the floor
75
The Adoration of the Shepherds, Pieter Codde, 16451645 · Rijksmuseum
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Pieter Codde | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Rijksmuseum |
Amsterdam | 4 | Family Group, Gallant Company, The Meagre Company |
 Nationalmuseum |
Stockholm | 3 | A Conversation, Company Making Music, Portrait of a Family |
 Bavarian State Painting Collections |
Munich | 3 | Conversation Piece, musical company, Portrait Of A Child |
 Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery |
The Hague | 2 | Double Portrait of a Married Couple, Merry Company with Masked Dancers |
 Hermitage Museum |
Saint Petersburg | 2 | Venus Mourning over Adonis, An Artist in Front of the Easel |
 Museum of Fine Arts Ghent (MSK) |
Ghent | 2 | Company playing backgammon in an interior, Portrait of a Man |
 Staatliches Museum Schwerin |
Schwerin | 2 | Elegant company conversing and singing in an interior, Elegant company conversing and singing in an interior |
 The Louvre |
Paris | 2 | DAME A SA TOILETTE, The Dancing Lesson |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
The tension of a sudden confrontation unfolds in A Prisoner Kneels Before an Officer, a work by the Dutch painter Pieter Codde. This scene captures a moment of high drama, known also by the title Travellers interrogated by an officer. The narrative weight of the piece shifts depending on the language used to describe it, appearing in other records as Verhaftete Reisende vor einem Offizier (Der Überfall).
Pieter Codde executed the Double Portrait of a Married Couple in 1634. This oil on panel work presents two figures positioned side by side. The subjects are dressed in formal, high-status attire, characterized by ruffled collars and white cravats. They are situated before a doorway, a setting that provides a structured architectural backdrop to the pair.
Family Group (Moore) – A Window Into Domestic Tranquility The sculpture “Family Group” by Henry Moore, created in 1950, stands as a testament to the enduring fascination with familial bonds and the exploration of human form through abstraction. Unlike traditional portraiture, Moore eschewed meticulous detail, opting instead for a simplified representation that prioritizes gesture and emotional resonance—a deliberate departure from the conventions of his time. The piece’s impact transcends mere…
In this oil painting on panel, a group of figures is arranged in a dense, pyramidal structure. At the center of the composition, the pale skin of a lifeless male figure, Adonis, is positioned against a dark, shadowed background. Venus leans over his body, her form integrated into the central mass of the mourning group. Surrounding the central pair, several female attendants are depicted in various states of grief. Their…
The Portrait of a Family by Pieter Codde captures a quiet moment of domesticity from the Dutch Golden Age. Painted about 1661, this formal and somber group portrait presents five individuals gathered within an interior setting. A man, three women of varying ages, and a small child occupy the space, accompanied by a dog. The arrangement of these figures suggests a structured lineage and the steady weight of familial unity.
The air feels heavy with the tension of a cosmic dispute as the rugged, mountainous landscape rises to meet a soft, hazy sky. High above the jagged cliffs, light spills from the upper left, catching the pale skin of figures caught in a moment of profound decision. This is the theater of the gods, where the very essence of music is being weighed. Apollo and Pan occupy the scene, their…
Double Portrait of a Married Couple (1634), Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery, The Hague. Venus Mourning over Adonis (1650) and Family Group (1642) come next.
35 years old: Double Portrait of a Married Couple dates from 1634, and Pieter Codde was born in 1599.
Double Portrait of a Married Couple, Venus Mourning over Adonis, Family Group, Departure with Two Soldiers and a Woman, A Prisoner Kneels Before an Officer, Interior with Figures, Company of Music-Makers, Portrait of a Man with a Watch, The Guardroom and Portrait of Joan van Werkhoven ( -1665). The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 82 works by Pieter Codde, dated from 1624 to 1670.
Mostly in Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam), Nationalmuseum (Stockholm) and Bavarian State Painting Collections (Munich). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1630s: 26 of the 75 works on this page were made then, Double Portrait of a Married Couple among them.
On this page, the earliest is A Prisoner Kneels Before an Officer (1624) and the latest The Judgement of Mida with Apollo and Pan (Ovidius, Metamorphosis II:146-193) (1670).
Man (17), Woman (13) and People (12), across the 75 works on this page.
Oil On Panel, for 15 of the 75 works on this page.
Dutch golden age and Baroque, judging by the originals on this page.
Family Group, Gallant Company and The Meagre Company: the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam holds 4 of the works on this page.
Pieter Jacobsz Codde, a name synonymous with the refined elegance of the seventeenth-century Dutch Golden Age, lived a life as textured and layered as the canvases he produced. Born in Amsterdam in 1599 to a family of modest means—his father serving as a city official responsible for port fees—Codde emerged from an environment steeped in the maritime commerce and burgeoning prosperity of the Netherlands. While historical records regarding his early training remain somewhat enigmatic, whispers of an apprenticeship under the legendary Frans Hals have long circulated among art historians. However, more recent scholarship suggests he may have refined his technical prowess under Barent van Someren or Cornelis van der Voort. Regardless of his specific master, Codde’s development was marked by a profound ability to capture the quiet, often silvery-gray tonalities that would become his aesthetic signature.
His early years were not merely defined by the brush, but also by a literary sensibility that added depth to his visual narratives. In the early decades of the 1600s, Codde was known to engage with the poetic and dramatic arts, appearing in publications such as Hollande Nachtegaelken. This intersection of word and image allowed him to approach genre painting not just as a recorder of reality, but as a storyteller capable of weaving classical and amorous themes into the fabric of everyday life. His move to the fashionable Sint Antoniesbreestraat in Amsterdam placed him at the very heart of the artistic community, surrounded by the vibrant energy of a city defining its cultural identity.
As his career matured, Codde became a master of several distinct genres, most notably the guardroom scene, the musical company, and the intimate portrait. His work is celebrated for its meticulous attention to detail and a sophisticated use of chiaroscibility—the dramatic interplay of light and shadow that breathes life into inanimate objects and human subjects alike. In his guardroom paintings, he captured the rugged, often tense atmosphere of military life, yet he infused these scenes with a technical grace that elevated them beyond mere reportage. His ability to render the cold glint of steel, the heavy texture of fabric, and the soft glow of candlelight created an immersive experience for the viewer.
Beyond the martial themes, Codde found immense success in depicting the social harmonies of his era. His musical compositions are particularly evocative, capturing moments of shared leisure and artistic devotion. In works such as Dancing Lesson and The Lute Player, one can sense the rhythmic pulse of the music through his precise brushwork. These paintings often feature a delicate, silvery palette that lends a dreamlike, nostalgic quality to the scenes, making them feel both immediate and timeless. Through these small-scale masterpieces, Codde invited the viewer into the private, harmonious corners of Dutch domesticity, where melody and movement converged.
The life of Pieter Codde was not without its shadows, mirroring the darker tones found in his more somber compositions. His personal history was marked by turbulence, including a high-profile legal accusation and a divorce that saw his wife move into the home of the painter Paulus Potter. Yet, even amidst personal upheaval, his professional trajectory remained one of significant achievement. By 1657, he had secured a prestigious residence on the Keizersgracht, a testament to the stability and success his talent had afforded him. His later years were spent in the very heart of Amsterdam's grandeur, continuing to refine the techniques that would influence generations of Dutch painters.
The historical significance of Codde lies in his role as a bridge between the raw naturalism of the early Golden Age and the more refined, polished aesthetics of the mid-seventeenth century. His contributions to the development of genre painting provided a blueprint for how light could be used to sculpt emotion and atmosphere. Today, his works reside in some of the world's most esteemed institutions, including:
Ultimately, Pieter Jacobsz Codde remains a vital figure in the canon of Western art, remembered not just for his technical skill, but for his ability to capture the fleeting, luminous essence of human connection and the quiet dignity of everyday existence.
