Marriage

This is one of several paintings by Melchers devoted to the subject of marriage. The “bride” here, however, was no bride at all but rather Melchers’s Dutch cook, who frequently served as his model. She wears a Dutch headdress draped with a fine veil secured by a crown of orange blossoms and holds a prayer book and a modest orange-blossom bouquet. A traditional symbol of fruitfulness and purity, orange blossoms were almost a requirement in bridal wear of the time.