Adriaen van Ostade 

Jacobus Houbraken made this engraving, Adriaen van Ostade, as part of a series of portraits of Dutch artists. Van Ostade was a painter from Haarlem, known for his genre scenes depicting peasant life. The image captures the social dynamics of 18th-century art production. Positioned above is the portrait of the master. Below, a young, nude boy copies a drawing. His nudity perhaps symbolizes innocence or the beginning of his artistic journey, but it also hints at the power dynamics inherent in artistic training. Who was this boy? In 1750, the Dutch Republic was a society shaped by class distinctions, and art served both to reflect and reinforce those hierarchies. Houbraken’s engraving reminds us of the collaborative—but rarely equitable—nature of artistic creation. It prompts us to consider the emotional labor involved in learning and copying, and the often unseen contributions of those who work behind the scenes.