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- Emanuel de Witte (1617 - 1691)
- Interior of the Oude Kerk, Delft
- Netherlands
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- Date: 1651
- Object Type: Painting
- Medium: Oil on oak panel
- Image size: 60.5 x 44 cm
- Inv: P254
- Location: East Galleries II
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- De Witte demonstrated a sophisticated response to the difficulties of representing monumental interiors. Not content to record detail and perspective, he aimed to suggest space and atmosphere through evocative contrasts of light and shadow, in much the same way as his contemporaries in Delft, Vermeer and De Hooch. The bare white interior of this church and the central position of the large pulpit reflects the Protestant doctrine of the primacy of the word (the sermon). The bright rays of sunlight relieve the powerful weight of the columns and help to create an illusion of space. The people in the church are also emphasised in this way, as light catches their clothing and provides vivid accents of colour.