Tavern Scene
early 1660s National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
About this artwork
This oil-on-wood panel depicts a dimly lit Dutch tavern interior where a group of peasants engage in card playing, smoking, and drinking. It exemplifies the artist's focus on the humble daily activities of the lower classes in the Dutch Golden Age.
Did you know?
Adriaen van Ostade was a prolific chronicler of peasant life in the 17th-century Netherlands, often choosing to portray the rougher, earthier aspects of tavern society. While these works were popular among collectors who enjoyed the 'quaintness' of rural poverty, they were also sometimes interpreted as moralizing warnings against the vices of gambling and intoxication.
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Tavern Scene
Adriaen van Ostade, early 1660s
