Tavern Scene

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.