Ostade was a pupil of the great portrait painter Frans Hals in Haarlem, but his early works more closely resemble those of his workshop contemporary Adriane Brouwer (See Interior of a Tavern DPG108 nearby). The two artists are well-known for their interior scenes of taverns, which often contain raucous, squabbling peasants.
Around Ostade's mid-career, he moved away from depicting large groups of figures to smaller gatherings such as here. The peasants seem to enjoy one another's company, playing music and drinking beer.
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