Ostade, Adriaen van. ( 1610 - 1685). Peasant in a Pointed Fur Cap, ca. 1655.
Small original drypoint etching depicting an old man wearing a cap and white collar, ca. 1655. Sight size 2.5 x 3 inches (6.2 x 7.5 cm), nicely matted and framed to an overall size of 10.5 x 12.5 inches (27 x 31.5 cm).
After Rembrandt, Van Ostade was the major Dutch printmaker of his day, producing 50 recorded etchings. His prints were highly regarded by his contemporaries and remained enduringly popular long after his death and went through a number of editions. The present work depicts an aging, thoughtful man, with an enormous nose and an unkempt bear, wearing a close-fitting, pointed fur cap and is a good example of the popular Dutch sub-genre of the tronie, or character study. Our impression is from the seveneth and final state, and probably dates from the 18th century.
Van Ostade probably trained in Frans Hals's workshop, where the subject matter of fellow student Adriaen Brouwer determined Van Ostade's own themes. In his early work, Van Ostade depicted scenes of peasants engaged in debauchery using Rembrandt van Rijn's forceful chiaroscuro. Later, Van Ostade portrayed calmer, more respectable people in comfortable interiors with carefully structured spaces and picturesque clutter. By then, both he and Holland had become more prosperous. An extremely prolific artist, Van Ostade produced hundreds of paintings; over eight hundred survive. Van Ostade also painted portraits and still lifes and added figures to paintings by Pieter Saenredam, Jacob van Ruisdael, and others. After Rembrandt, he was the major Dutch etcher of his day. Van Ostade's watercolors, about half of which were made after 1670, were attempts to duplicate the effect of his oil paintings through watercolor and were in much demand. His students included his brother Isack and Jan Steen.
Ostade, Adriaen van. ( 1610 - 1685). Peasant in a Pointed Fur Cap, ca. 1655.
Small original drypoint etching depicting an old man wearing a cap and white collar, ca. 1655. Sight size 2.5 x 3 inches (6.2 x 7.5 cm), nicely matted and framed to an overall size of 10.5 x 12.5 inches (27 x 31.5 cm).
After Rembrandt, Van Ostade was the major Dutch printmaker of his day, producing 50 recorded etchings. His prints were highly regarded by his contemporaries and remained enduringly popular long after his death and went through a number of editions. The present work depicts an aging, thoughtful man, with an enormous nose and an unkempt bear, wearing a close-fitting, pointed fur cap and is a good example of the popular Dutch sub-genre of the tronie, or character study. Our impression is from the seveneth and final state, and probably dates from the 18th century.
Van Ostade probably trained in Frans Hals's workshop, where the subject matter of fellow student Adriaen Brouwer determined Van Ostade's own themes. In his early work, Van Ostade depicted scenes of peasants engaged in debauchery using Rembrandt van Rijn's forceful chiaroscuro. Later, Van Ostade portrayed calmer, more respectable people in comfortable interiors with carefully structured spaces and picturesque clutter. By then, both he and Holland had become more prosperous. An extremely prolific artist, Van Ostade produced hundreds of paintings; over eight hundred survive. Van Ostade also painted portraits and still lifes and added figures to paintings by Pieter Saenredam, Jacob van Ruisdael, and others. After Rembrandt, he was the major Dutch etcher of his day. Van Ostade's watercolors, about half of which were made after 1670, were attempts to duplicate the effect of his oil paintings through watercolor and were in much demand. His students included his brother Isack and Jan Steen.