European Art and Old Masters

Exhibited Frederik Muller and Co., Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 1906, no. 99 (the pair). Literature Cornelis Hofstede de Groot, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, Vol. III, Macmillan, London, 1910, pp. 193-194, no. 177 (for the man, listed as Smoker) and p. 208, no. 222 (for the woman, listed as Drinker) Note Adriaen van Ostade was born in Haarlem in December 1610 and spent all of his life in his native town, dying there on May 2, 1685. A student of Frans Hals along with Adriaen Brouwer, van Ostade seemed to have had more affinity with his colleague than with his master, as both liked to depict the daily life of the lower class: men and women shown dancing, drinking, eating or playing music. As in the present paintings, van Ostade also painted single figures, known as tronies. In such paintings, the figure – frequently smoking or drinking - occupies most of the picture plane, offering the viewer greater personal engagement with the subject. The present pair of panels shows van Ostade's predilection for common subjects and his set distance from the art of Hals, through the use of carefully blended colors. They also differ from van Ostade’s earlier work, usually more violent, sometimes headed toward caricature, and generally proned to a monochromatic palette. Each panel here is constructed around a combination of two bold, pure colors: green and purple for the man, red and blue for the woman, while the rest of the composition is limited to a few, neutral tints of brown, light grey, and soft cream. Unlike many of his contemporaries who depicted smoking men and drinking women to suggest a moral flaw, and denounce such leisure activities, van Ostade reveals an innocuous couple, caught in harmless daily-life activities. The figures appear less coarse, friendlier than the tavern drinkers van Ostade usually depicted. Their face is incredibly detailed, making them recognizable among many. Such precision also conveys an overall sense of individuality and dignity. The lighting is very subtle, the two figures are poised, tranquil, which reflects van Ostade's own views on domesticity - a blessed sanctuary where people live in harmony with each other. The sale of this recently rediscovered pair of van Ostade portraits is noteworthy, as few "official pairs" have subsisted over the years. This one specifically had disappeared after it was exhibited in Frederick Muller’s Rembrandt Exhibition in Amsterdam in 1906. Freshly cleaned, the panels each reveal an outstanding harmony of colors, seen as the hallmark of van Ostade's oeuvre. The pair is set to be included in Dr. Hiltraud Doll’s forthcoming monograph on the artist.