Artwork
Carnival revellers in a tavern
Carnival revellers in a tavern is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Pieter van Laer. It dates from 1635 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition highlights the convivial yet transgressive nature of such gatherings, often interpreted as allegories of pleasure and social disorder.
The painting depicts a lively tavern scene crowded with carnival participants, reflecting the festive atmosphere of 17th-century revelry. Symbolically, the figures embody the moral excesses associated with carnival celebrations, a theme common in genre paintings of the Dutch Golden Age. The composition highlights the convivial yet transgressive nature of such gatherings, often interpreted as allegories of pleasure and social disorder.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1635, this work is an oil painting on canvas measuring 53.6 by 82.3 cm. The piece exemplifies the genre scene tradition, depicting a lively tavern interior populated by carnival revelers. As a creation by Pieter van Laer, also known as Bamboccio, the composition reflects his specialization in small-scale scenes of everyday life and lower-class subjects. The handling of the medium supports the detailed rendering of figures within a confined architectural space, characteristic of the artist's output during his time in Rome.
History & Provenance
Pieter van Laer painted Carnival revellers in a tavern in 1635, an oil on canvas work depicting a lively tavern scene during the Carnival celebrations. The painting entered the Bavarian State Painting Collections and has been displayed at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, where it was featured in the exhibition The Bentvueghels. A Notorious Art Society in Rome.
The painting Carnival revellers in a tavern is held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. The work, created by Pieter van Laer in 1635, is executed in oil on canvas. It was featured in the exhibition The Bentvueghels. A Notorious Art Society in Rome.
Context
Pieter van Laer, known as 'Il Bamboccio,' painted Carnival revellers in a tavern in 1635, a work that epitomizes the genre art movement he pioneered in Rome. This painting is a primary example of the Bamboccianti style, characterized by small-scale depictions of everyday life, often featuring tavern scenes and common people rather than idealized historical or mythological subjects. The work's inclusion in the exhibition The Bentvueghels.
A Notorious Art Society in Rome underscores its significance in understanding the artistic networks and social realism that defined this circle of Dutch and Flemish artists working in early seventeenth-century Italy.
Overview
Pieter van Laer’s Carnival revellers in a tavern (1635) is an oil painting that captures a bustling interior scene during the Roman Carnival. Executed by the Dutch artist who spent most of his career in Rome, the work is part of the Alte Pinakothek’s collection and exemplifies the lively genre painting typical of the Dutch Golden Age.
Artist & collection
Artist
Pieter Bodding van Laer (christened 14 December 1599, in Haarlem – 1641 or later) was a Dutch painter and printmaker.
