Susanna, partly naked and stepping out of a fountain with two elders at left, one of them pulling at her garment, after Reni
Theodor van Kessel
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Baroque Painter · Active 1660 – 1660
Theodor van Kessel
Theodor van Kessel is among the painters whose work defines the Baroque era. Paintale holds 1 of Kessel’s works in its collection, spanning themes of daily life.
Daily Life
Where to see the work: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Paintings by Theodor van Kessel (1)
About Theodor van Kessel
Working at the height of the Baroque period, Theodor van Kessel produced a body of work that remains foundational to Western art. The recurring themes across the surviving paintings — daily life — show an artist returning to the same questions about the human figure, light, and the moral weight of a scene that Baroque painting was uniquely equipped to answer.
Today, paintings by Theodor van Kessel are held in major institutions including The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Each work on Paintale unpacks the subject, the symbolism, the technique, and the long afterlife of the painting — why it was commissioned, what its earliest viewers were expected to see, and why it still rewards close looking today.
Frequently asked about Theodor van Kessel
- When did Theodor van Kessel live?
- Theodor van Kessel was active around 1660 – 1660, during the Baroque period.
- Where can I see paintings by Theodor van Kessel?
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- What themes did Theodor van Kessel paint?
- Daily Life.