Artwork
Afternoon Tea

Afternoon Tea is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Jan Anton Garemyn. It dates from 1790 and is held in the collection of the Groeningemuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Jan Anton Garemyn's 1778 oil painting portrays a domestic interior scene centered on the ritual of afternoon tea.
Jan Anton Garemyn's 1778 oil painting portrays a domestic interior scene centered on the ritual of afternoon tea. The composition features a priest and a domestic worker situated near a window, accompanied by a dog. Various household objects populate the room, including a chair, a clock, and items related to sewing.
A cup is also present, anchoring the social activity of the title. The work functions as a genre depiction of daily life, capturing specific figures and furnishings within a private setting without overt allegorical symbolism indicated in available records.
Technique & Style
Afternoon Tea is an oil painting on canvas executed by Jan Anton Garemyn in 1778. The work measures 58.5 cm in height by 93.5 cm in width, a horizontal format suited to its multi-figure interior scene. The medium of oil paint allowed for the detailed rendering of the domestic setting, which includes a chair, window, priest, domestic worker, dog, clock, sewing activity, and a cup arranged within the composition.
The painting is held in the collection of the Groeningemuseum.
History & Provenance
Afternoon Tea was created in 1778 by Jan Anton Garemyn, executed in oil paint on canvas. The painting entered the collection of the Groeningemuseum, where it is held and on display. No further details regarding its commission, intermediate ownership, or earlier provenance are documented in the available sources.
The painting Afternoon Tea by Jan Anton Garemyn is held in the collection of the Groeningemuseum. Created in 1778, the work is executed in oil on canvas and measures 58.5 cm in height by 93.5 cm in width. The available sources confirm its location within this specific institution but do not provide an inventory or accession number. Furthermore, no records regarding the exhibition history of this piece are included in the provided documentation.
Overview
Jan Anton Garemyn’s 1790 oil painting Afternoon Tea presents an intimate interior gathering rendered in the light, decorative manner typical of the Rococo period. The composition centers on a modest domestic setting where figures converse around a table, accompanied by a seated dog, a clock, and a cup, all illuminated by daylight from a large window.
Context
Afternoon Tea belongs to a broader Flemish tradition of genre painting that celebrated domestic life, a trend that gained momentum in the late 18th century as artists turned away from grand historical subjects. Garemyn’s work aligns with contemporaneous Rococo tendencies in Northern Europe, where lightness of subject and decorative elegance were prized.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Anton Garemijn or Jan Anton Garemyn (15 April 1712, Bruges – 23 June 1799, Bruges) was a Flemish painter and engraver and draftsman.


















