Adriaen Jansz. van Ostade, Dutch 1610-1685- The Interior of a barn, with two peasants by a fire; oil on panel, 35.2 x 28.4 cm. Provenance: Thomas Jefferson Bryan.; By whom bequeathed to the New York Historical Society, 1867.; Anon. sale...

Adriaen Jansz. van Ostade,

Dutch 1610-1685-

The Interior of a barn, with two peasants by a fire;

oil on panel, 35.2 x 28.4 cm.

Provenance: Thomas Jefferson Bryan.; By whom bequeathed to the New York Historical Society, 1867.; Anon. sale, Christie's, London, 23 March 1973, lot 2 (as by Isaac van Ostade).; Private Collection, UK (by descent).

Literature: Catalogue of the Gallery of Art of The New York Historical Society, New York, 1915, p.96, no.B.344 (as 'Interior of a Cottage').

Note: The present work is a fine early oil by Adriaen van Ostade, rapidly executed, and painted between the years 1636 and 1640. Indeed, it was in these years that the artist was returning, with relative regularity, to the subject of interiors with peasants in conjunction with still-life detailing, mostly, as here, on small panels in the upright format. Most prominent here are the household items portrayed in the foreground. By contrast, the figures at the back of the barn are staffage only, and this is likely the reason why van Ostade did not describe the face of the standing peasant with any discernible features. One of the first and best documented versions of the present work is in the Städel Museum, Frankfurt, 'Interior of a Barn', painted in 1636, and measuring smaller than the present work [no.1081]. We are grateful to Dr Bernhard Schnackenburg for confirming the attribution of this lot and for his assistance with the catalogue entry.
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