Artwork
Man Smoking a Pipe
Man Smoking a Pipe is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Gerard ter Borch. It dates from 1664 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition’s unadorned setting, a chair, a table, and subdued lighting, reinforces an atmosphere of introspective calm rather than moralizing narrative.
The painting depicts a solitary man seated indoors, absorbed in smoking a Gouda clay pipe, a common object associated with Dutch domestic life in the seventeenth century.
In the context of Dutch genre scenes, the pipe and the act of smoking carry no overt symbolic charge; instead, they foreground the quietude of everyday existence and the contemplative mood of the sitter. The composition’s unadorned setting, a chair, a table, and subdued lighting, reinforces an atmosphere of introspective calm rather than moralizing narrative.
Technique & Style
Gerard ter Borch executed Man Smoking a Pipe in 1664 as an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 42 cm in height and 33 cm in width, adhering to the artist's characteristic small-scale format for genre scenes. Stylistically, the piece depicts a man seated with a Gouda clay pipe, capturing a moment of quiet domestic activity typical of the genre.
The handling of the medium focuses on the realistic portrayal of the smoker and his immediate surroundings, including a chair and table, within a compact composition.
History & Provenance
Gerard ter Borch created the oil painting Man Smoking a Pipe in 1664. The work was executed on canvas and depicts a seated figure smoking a Gouda clay pipe. Historical records indicate that the painting was once owned by Barthold Suermondt.
Today, the artwork is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, having previously been associated with a private collection before entering the museum's holdings.
Man Smoking a Pipe by Gerard ter Borch is held in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin. The painting is associated with the collection of Barthold Suermondt, who owned it prior to its current institutional placement. The work, dated 1664, is catalogued within the museum's holdings as an oil-on-canvas genre scene.
Context
Gerard ter Borch's Man Smoking a Pipe, created in 1664, stands as a representative example of Dutch genre painting from the mid-seventeenth century. The work depicts a solitary male figure engaged in the act of smoking a Gouda clay pipe, a common subject that reflects the domestic and social customs of the era. Currently held in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin, the painting was previously part of the collection of Barthold Suermondt, illustrating its historical provenance within significant private holdings.
As an oil-on-canvas piece measuring 42 cm by 33 cm, it exemplifies ter Borch's focus on intimate, everyday scenes rather than grand historical narratives, contributing to the broader understanding of genre art in the Dutch Golden Age.
Overview
Created in 1664 by Dutch painter Gerard ter Borch, Man Smoking a Pipe is an oil painting that portrays a solitary figure engaged in a quiet, everyday activity. The work exemplifies the intimate genre scenes for which ter Borch is known, focusing on a single individual rather than a narrative tableau. It is part of the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Gerard ter Borch (Dutch:; December 1617 – 8 December 1681), also known as Gerard Terburg (Dutch: ), was a Dutch Golden Age painter mainly of genre subjects.
