Artwork
The smoker
The smoker is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Ary de Vois. It dates from 1667 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The smoker is a self-portrait by Ary de Vois, depicting the artist himself with a Gouda clay pipe.
The smoker is a self-portrait by Ary de Vois, depicting the artist himself with a Gouda clay pipe. The pipe, a typical Dutch clay tobacco pipe associated with everyday leisure in the seventeenth century, serves as the central iconographic attribute, signaling the informal, introspective character of the small panel portrait rather than formal status.
By portraying himself in the act of smoking, de Vois aligns with a broader Dutch tradition of tronies and genre-inflected self-portraits in which artists presented themselves absorbed in quiet, contemplative activities. The work represents the artist as both maker and sitter, using the modest pipe as a symbol of personal character and the everyday pleasures of Dutch Golden Age life.
Technique & Style
Created in 1667, The Smoker is an oil painting executed on a panel support. The work measures 14 cm in height and 10.5 cm in width, presenting a compact portrait format. Stylistically, the piece functions as a portrait that depicts the artist Ary de Vois holding a Gouda clay pipe. The composition focuses on the figure and the specific object in hand, characteristic of the genre.
History & Provenance
Created in 1667, The Smoker is an oil painting on panel by the Dutch artist Ary de Vois. The work functions as a self-portrait, depicting the artist holding a Gouda clay pipe. It was originally owned by Adriaan van der Hoop, a prominent collector whose holdings formed a significant part of the Amsterdam Museum's early collection.
The painting is currently held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, having been integrated into its collection from the van der Hoop bequest.
The painting The Smoker by Ary de Vois is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It forms part of the specific holdings of the Amsterdam Museum, originating from the collection of Adriaan van der Hoop. The work, created in 1667, is an oil-on-panel portrait depicting the artist himself holding a Gouda clay pipe.
The source material does not provide a specific inventory or accession number for the item. Furthermore, no exhibition history is recorded in the provided texts, limiting the scope of this section to its current institutional location and collection lineage.
Legacy
The smoker has been recognized as an early example of a genre scene that blends portraiture with everyday activity, influencing later Dutch genre painters who explored similar themes of domestic leisure. Its depiction of a figure with a Gouda clay pipe contributed to the development of character studies in 17th‑century portraiture, and the work remains part of the collections at the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam Museum, preserving its legacy within Dutch art history.
Overview
Ary de Vois’s 1667 oil painting, titled The Smoker, presents a solitary figure seated before a dark backdrop. The sitter, rendered in a solemn expression, holds a long Gouda clay pipe, its smoke hinted at by subtle shading. The composition is framed by the man’s hands resting on the picture’s edge, drawing attention to his contemplative posture.
Context
During the mid‑1600s, Dutch portraiture often highlighted bourgeois subjects engaged in quotidian activities, aligning with the era’s interest in realism and moral reflection. De Vois’s work fits within this tradition, offering insight into contemporary social habits such as pipe‑smoking, while also showcasing the period’s technical advances in oil painting.
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