Gezelschap met musicerende vrouw aan tafel voor een herberg 1847

Joseph Schubert’s print, 'Gezelschap met musicerende vrouw aan tafel voor een herberg’ depicts a musical gathering outside a tavern. This genre scene provides a glimpse into the social life of 19th-century Europe. The print, produced in Belgium for the 'Institut des Beaux-Arts', captures a sense of convivial entertainment, but note the slightly melancholic tone in the faces of the seated men, perhaps hinting at social tensions beneath the surface of bourgeois life. The setting and dress point to an interest in the everyday life of the middle classes, whose patronage was increasingly important for artists. The 'Institut des Beaux-Arts' itself played a role in shaping artistic taste and providing a platform for artists like Schubert to reach a wider audience. To truly understand this print, we might delve into the records of the 'Institut des Beaux-Arts' to better understand its mission, or explore the social history of music-making in Belgium to uncover the meanings that the artwork held in its time.