The article deals with the semantic relationship of Dutch literature and painting in the 17th century. It considers different forms of interaction between literature and painting, the genre of emblemata, poems about paintings. The authors analyze Jacob Cat’s poem “Matrimony” (Houwelyck) and paintings by Pieter de Hooch on “home-keeping” and come to the conclusion that the Dutch poetry and painting contained a pronounced ethical and didactic orientation, which became a characteristic feature of the Dutch culture of the 17th century.
