(1610 Haarlem 1685)

A brawl in a tavern. 1638.

Oil on panel.

Signed and barely legibly dated centre bottom: A ostade 16(38).

28.5 × 38.5 cm.

Expertise:
Dr. Bernhard Schnackenburg, 14.11.2019.

Provenance:
Swiss private collection.

Dr. Schackenburg has confirmed the authenticity of this painting on the basis of a photograph: the painting was produced in the same period as Lot 3049 in which Adriaen van Ostade employed a roughly outlined painting style in brown tones. In this painting, the architecture of the spacious barn interior remains mostly hinted at, while the figures are thrown into relief as they are depicted with the utmost accuracy and vibrancy. Stylistically this work can also be compared with "The Washerwoman" of 1637 which is in the Hamburg Kunsthalle (Inv.-No. HK–122).

An allusion to the five senses could also be present here, and "the brawl" may be understood as the sense of feeling.
In the context of the Seven Vices, this may equally be an allusion to that of Anger.