The Old Drinker 1658
gabrielmetsu
portrait
portrait subject
oil painting
portrait reference
male-portraits
portrait head and shoulder
portrait drawing
facial portrait
portrait art
fine art portrait
celebrity portrait
digital portrait
"The Old Drinker" is a 1658 painting by Gabriel Metsu depicting a weathered man seated in a tavern. The man holds a tankard and a pipe, suggesting a life of leisure and perhaps indulgence. Metsu, known for his genre scenes, captures the man's character through subtle details - his weathered face, relaxed pose, and worn clothing. This work, now in the Rijksmuseum, exemplifies Metsu's mastery of realism and his ability to portray the lives of ordinary people with sensitivity and accuracy.
Comments
This old man holding a beer tankard looks out at us somewhat drowsily. The tally of the drinks he has consumed is chalked up on the slate behind him. The beer barrel at the left bears the mark of Het Rode Hert (The Red Hart), an Amsterdam brewery on the Prinsengracht. Metsu was living next door to it around 1650.
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