Merry company in a distinguished interior

Merry Company in a Distinguished Interior at the National Gallery of Art in Washington dates from around 1676 and shows de Hooch's fully developed Amsterdam manner, with the grander architectural setting of marble floors, classical columns, and elaborate furnishings that reflected the more opulent lifestyle of Amsterdam's elite compared to the simpler Delft interiors of his earlier work. The move from Delft to Amsterdam required de Hooch to adapt his art to the tastes of a wealthier and more fashion-conscious clientele, and the distinguished interior of this merry company represents this adaptation. His early soldier scenes had evolved through the celebrated domestic interiors of his Delft period into these grander Amsterdam social scenes, where the figures are somewhat smaller in relation to their architectural setting and the emphasis shifts from intimate domestic virtue to conspicuous refinement. The National Gallery of Art holds this as a major example of de Hooch's Amsterdam period.

The larger interior space is defined by marble floors, classical columns, and elaborate furnishings that reflect the wealth of de Hooch's Amsterdam patrons. The figures are smaller in relation to their architectural setting, which increasingly dominates his later compositions.