Interieur van een herberg met man die pijp aansteekt en man met glas in zijn hand 1671 - 1679

Adriaen van Ostade created this etching of a tavern interior sometime in the 17th century. Scenes of everyday life like this were popular in the Dutch Golden Age, reflecting the values and concerns of a newly prosperous merchant class. But Ostade wasn’t simply documenting reality, he was making choices about what to show and how to show it. The tavern, a public space for drinking and socializing, was a key site of social life in the Netherlands, where people from different backgrounds would come together. Here, we see two men enjoying simple pleasures – drinking and smoking – in a humble setting. How does Ostade’s image engage with the social realities of its time? Is it a celebration of ordinary people, or a comment on the potential dangers of public life? Investigating the symbolism of taverns in 17th-century Dutch art, and considering the artist’s own social background can help us better understand its meanings and how art comments on the structures of its own time.