Tavern Scene
early 1660s
Artist, Dutch, 1610 - 1685
Adriaen van Ostade devoted himself to the depiction of the daily lives of common people. He initially produced images that were far from flattering, showing raucous peasants in rickety barns, but over the course of his career the scenes became less like caricatures to reveal a more realistic view of rural life. This evolving subtlety is evident as well in Van Ostade’s painting technique, notably in his use of light and dark. Here, the tavern interior is in good repair, the building substantial, the fireplace spacious, and the leaded windows without a broken pane. In the common room of a tavern a group of men is playing cards while they share a pitcher of beer and smoke their clay pipes. A boy is leaving for the woodshed to refill the empty basket. In the background a second group seems to be discussing the document on the table, a visible reminder that in the seventeenth century taverns not only served as inns, restaurants, and bars, but also were used extensively to conduct business.
Adriaen van Ostade, older brother to Isack (1621–1649), was a remarkably prolific artist. His known works include more than eight hundred paintings, about fifty etchings, and numerous drawings, and the ample production provided a substantial income. A well-respected artist, Van Ostade was active in the administration of Haarlem’s Saint Luke’s Guild, and he influenced the work of several other Dutch genre painters.
Artwork overview
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Medium
oil on panel
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Credit Line
-
Dimensions
overall: 23.8 x 20.4 cm (9 3/8 x 8 1/16 in.)
framed: 30.1 x 26.3 x 4.7 cm (11 7/8 x 10 3/8 x 1 7/8 in.) -
Accession
1977.21.1
More About this Artwork
Artwork history & notes
Provenance
Probably private collection, Belgium; purchased c. 1930 in Europe by Mrs. Edwin M. Watson [d. 1971, née Frances Nash], Washington, D.C., and Charlottesville, VA; by inheritance to her niece and nephew, Ellen V. Nash [d. 1993] and Edward Nash, Charlottesville, VA; by gift to John Russell Mason [1900-1981], Washington, D.C.;[1] gift 1977 to NGA.
[1] The provenance information was provided by Mr. Mason in his letter of 29 March 1977 to J. Carter Brown (copy in NGA curatorial files).
Associated Names
Exhibition History
1997
Rembrandt and the Golden Age: Dutch Paintings from the National Gallery of Art, The Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, 1997, unnumbered brochure.
Bibliography
1985
National Gallery of Art. European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. Washington, 1985: 295, repro.
1995
Wheelock, Arthur K., Jr. Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, 1995: 185-187, color repro. 186.
Inscriptions
lower left: Av Ostade / 166[?]
Wikidata ID
Q20177560