1679
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Peasant Family on a Porch with a Girl Reaching for a Doll is a 1679 ink by Adriaen van Ostade, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This etching shows three people sitting on a porch. A woman holds a baby, while a child reaches for a doll on the table. Behind them, a flowering tree frames the scene, and a man sits with his hands folded. The artist used fine lines to show texture—like the folds in clothes or the petals on the tree. This was done with etching and drypoint, which let them add detail without heavy brushwork. Check out the technique: etching, drypoint, aquatint to see how artists create depth with ink and metal plates.
Adriaen van Ostade (baptized as Adriaen Jansz Hendricx 10 December 1610 – buried 2 May 1685) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of genre works, showing the everyday life of ordinary men and women.
See the richer artist page
