Adriaen Van Ostade
Haarlem 1610 – Haarlem 1685

Three Boors Drinking and Smoking in a Tavern
traces of the signature along the left edge of the table

oil on panel, roundel set into a rectangular format

5 ¼ × 5 ½ inches (13.3 × 14 cm.)

PROVENANCE:
Kunsthandel P. de Boer, Amsterdam, 1958, from whom acquired by; Salomon Anholt, New York, and thus by descent in the family until the present time

Dr. Max J. Friedländer in a photo-certificate dated Amsterdam April 1, 1947 states that the panel is in good condition and a characteristic work by Adriaen van Ostade.

In this work three men are gathered around a table in a triangular composition whose intimacy is enhanced by its circular format. The execution done in a free and sketchy manner is typical of Ostade at the start of his career.¹ Earlier paintings are also notable for a palette of earthy tonalities that in this work range from dark to a lighter reddish brown. The shadows of the left and right sides serve as a framing device. The boor on the right holds an earthenware jug in his left hand while gesturing with his right, engaging his companions in conversation. The two smokers whose faces are half hidden beneath ungainly hats, a feature characteristic of the artist, appear amused. A pipe, brazier and cloth lay on top of a barrel in the foreground. This jovial moment of shared conviviality belies the overriding sentiment of the period which viewed smoking and drinking as vices best avoided. Although Ostade certainly painted numerous scenes of the uproarious consequences of over-indulgence, in this panel the only visible condemnation is suggested by the coarseness of its characters and their dwelling. As the 1640s and 50s progressed and the artist gained in stature and wealth, the roughness of his figures softened while their quarters grew in size and amenities. The underlining meaning of these works also shifted away from satire towards an idealization of rural life.²

Ostade’s early paintings typically feature itinerant musicians, peddlers or rustics in cottages or taverns. Groups of these figures in a round format are common for the artist from circa 1639 to 1643. His first etching (Bartsch, no. 13) also falls into this category. Dr. Bernhard Schnackenburg dates this painting to about 1642, pointing out comparitive panels in the John G. Johnson Collection, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Peasants Making Merry, signed and dated 16_ _, 22.8 cm. diameter (no. 531 and Hofstede de Groot, no. 330) along with its pendant Three Peasants Drinking, signed and dated 1640, 22.8 cm. diameter (Hofstede de Groot, no. 345), as well as one with Johnny van Haeften, London in 1985, signed and dated 164_, 23.5 cm. diameter ³ (please see 11A).

Adriaen van Ostade was the son of the weaver Jan Hendricx van Eyndhoven and Janneke Hendriksdr. There were eight children including his brother and pupil Isaak van Ostade (1621 – 1649). There is no documented evidence of his training, but according to Arnold Houbraken in De Groote Schouburgh der Nederlantsche Konstschilders en Schilderessen, (three volumes written in 1718–1721, which was the first comprehensive study of Netherlandish art since Carel van Mander published his Schilderboeck in 1604), Ostade was a pupil of Frans Hals (1581/5-1666). Houbraken also states that Adriaen Brouwer (1606-1638) was a pupil of Hals at about the same period. Brouwer, a Flemish painter of low-life and tavern scenes, lived in Haarlem until 1631. Whether this is the case or not, where there is no detectable influence from Hals, Brouwer’s strong effect on Ostade’s early work is undeniable. By 1632 Ostade was active as a painter, entering the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke by 1634. He was elected a hoofdman (leader) of the guild in 1647 and 1661 and made deken (dean) in 1662. He married twice, in 1638 and again in 1657. He painted a few history paintings and portraits, but ultimately must be regarded as one of the most important Dutch painters of peasant genre scenes. Remarkably productive his known works number more than 800 paintings, numerous drawings and about 50 etchings. Besides his brother, Ostade’s pupils include Cornelis Bega (1631/2 – 1664), Cornelis Dusart (1660-1707), Michiel van Musscher (1645-1705) and Jan Steen (1625/6-1679). ⁴

We are grateful to Dr. Bernhard Schnackenburg for confirming the painting to be by Adriaen van Ostade and for his assistance in the writing of this entry. We would also like to thank Fred G. Meijer for confirming the attribution to Ostade and who dates the panel to the early to mid-1640s.

¹ Written communication with Dr. Bernhard Schnackenburg dated November 29, 2008.

² William Robinson, “Adriaen van Ostade” in Masters of Seventeenth Century Dutch Genre Painting, exhibition catalogue, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, March 18 – May 13, 1984, pp. 283-284, 287.

³ Written communication with Dr. Bernhard Schnackenburg dated November 29, 2008.

⁴ Biographical information taked from Robinson, op. cit., pp. 281-282; Arthur K. Wheelock, Jr., “Adriaen van Ostade”, in Dutch Painting of the Seventeenth Century, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1995, pp. 184-185; and Peter C. Sutton, “Adriaen van Ostade” in Dutch and Flemish Paintings, The Collection of Willem Baron van Dedem, Frances Lincoln Limited, London, 2002, p. 178.

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