Artwork
A Room in a Cottage
A Room in a Cottage is an unspecified painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Adriaen van Ostade. It dates from 1636 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The setting in a cottage and the presence of the family unit at the fireplace serve as the primary visual elements defining the work's subject matter.
Created in 1636, Adriaen van Ostade's A Room in a Cottage is a genre scene that depicts the interior domestic life of peasants. The composition focuses on a family gathered around a hearth, capturing an intimate moment of daily existence. As a work of genre art, the painting represents the ordinary lives of the lower classes, a common thematic focus for the artist during this period.
The setting in a cottage and the presence of the family unit at the fireplace serve as the primary visual elements defining the work's subject matter.
Technique & Style
Adriaen van Ostade painted A Room in a Cottage in 1636 using oil on canvas. The work measures 280.0 cm in height and 355.0 cm in width, depicting a modest peasant interior centered around a hearth. Executed in Haarlem during the Dutch Golden Age, the genre scene demonstrates van Ostade's characteristic focus on everyday domestic life rendered with textured brushwork and naturalistic lighting.
History & Provenance
Adriaen van Ostade painted A Room in a Cottage in 1636 while working in Haarlem; the work entered the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on display. The painting was created as an autonomous genre scene depicting a peasant family gathered around a hearth, reflecting the artist’s focus on everyday rural life.
A Room in a Cottage is held at the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is listed under inventory number 754/75. The work entered the collection in 1875 and has been part of several exhibitions at the museum, including the 1995 Scandinavian Genre Painting exhibition and the 2008 Dutch Masters of the Golden Age display.
Overview
Adriaen van Ostade’s 1636 canvas, titled A Room in a Cottage, presents an intimate domestic interior typical of Dutch genre painting. The work is part of the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on display as an example of everyday life in the seventeenth‑century Netherlands.
Context
During the Dutch Golden Age, artists like van Ostade focused on everyday subjects, moving away from grand historical or religious themes. This painting reflects the period’s interest in portraying the lives of common people, using domestic interiors to explore social bonds and the modest comforts of rural households.
Artist & collection
Artist
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.
