Domestic Scene,

An old woman is picking lice from the hair of a boy who is sitting on the ground with a small dog that looks expectantly at the boy’s piece of bread. A widow’s ring on the woman’s finger indicates her marital status; the child is perhaps her grandson. The motif of delousing is frequently found in Dutch painting, and it is probable that Murilo was inspired by such works. However, the larger format already differentiates Murillo’s painting from Dutch genre scenes.