An Evening Service in a Church

An Evening Service in a Church from 1649 is among the most unexpected works in Peeters's catalogue—an interior church scene with figures attending a candlelit evening service, far removed from his maritime speciality. Church interior painting was a distinct and commercially important genre in the Dutch and Flemish Baroque, associated principally with artists such as Pieter Saenredam and Emmanuel de Witte. Peeters's venture into the genre may reflect a commissioned work rather than a personal artistic initiative. The National Gallery, London, holds this canvas as an example of the versatility expected of successful seventeenth-century artists who could not always confine themselves to a single specialty.

The church interior is handled through strong tonal contrast between candlelit areas and the deep shadow of the nave. White-painted architectural surfaces catch and diffuse the candlelight, which is the principal light source. The congregation is rendered in silhouette or partial illumination against the church's stone columns.