Dose of Art #91: Gerard Ter Borch – The Flea-Catcher (Boy with his Dog) (c. 1655)

Although painted in the Dutch Golden Age this painting has a humble subject. The painting measures only 34.4 x 27.1 cm and shows a young boy taking fleas of his dog. The simplicity of the scene is deceiving; Ter Borch was a master in painting textures as can be seen when you look at the aged, wooden, furniture, the boy’s clothes, and the dog’s hairs.