Smoking Painter 

Pieter Codde painted this scene of a painter taking a break, sometime during the Dutch Golden Age. At first glance, it's easy to see this simply as a snapshot of 17th-century studio life, but think about the narratives embedded in the image. We get a glimpse into the persona of the artist as a thinker, a creator, but also as a man of leisure. Notice how Codde has rendered the painter in fashionable attire, the expensive looking doublet and lace collar speak to the social status of artists like himself. The pipe, more than a smoking device, is an accessory of contemplation. The image hints at the complexities of artistic identity, especially considering how the art world was dominated by men of a certain class and education. Codde offers us a window into that exclusive world, while inviting us to consider what's at stake when identity and profession intertwine.