Peasant Filling a Glass 1689

Cornelis Dusart made this small drawing of a peasant filling a glass sometime between 1660 and 1704. It is rendered in watercolor and graphite, and depicts a figure that is both individualized and representative of a social class. Dusart lived in a Dutch society that was busy establishing a sense of national identity, but one that was also highly stratified. He was known for his genre scenes, often depicting peasants in taverns or at festivals. Here we have a man caught in the act of pouring a drink, his face expressing a mixture of concentration and perhaps a touch of inebriation. His clothing is colorful but worn, marking him as a member of the working class, while the beverage he pours suggests a moment of leisure, a brief respite from labor. There is an emotional complexity here, as Dusart neither glorifies nor condemns his subject, but rather captures a moment of human experience that transcends social boundaries. It invites us to reflect on our own relationship to work, leisure, and the small pleasures that punctuate our daily lives.