A view of the interior of the Oude Kerk, Delft

Following the completion of his studies with his father, the still life painter Juriaan van Streek, Hendrik worked with the great Amsterdam architectural painter, Emanuel de Witte. The present view of the Oude Kerk in which the pulpit is seen from the southwest is frequently encountered in de Witte's work and likely served as inspiration for van Streek's painting. Particularly close is de Witte's painting of 1682, sold Christie's, Amsterdam, 1 November 2011, lot 17. Here, the central position of the minister preaching from the pulpit suggests the Protestant doctrine of the primacy of the word.
Another version of this composition on panel is in the John G. Johnson Collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (cat. 600).