Artwork
Travellers at Rest
Travellers at Rest is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Adriaen van Ostade. It dates from 1671 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
Created in Haarlem, the piece exemplifies the genre art tradition through its depiction of a scene involving travelers.
Executed in 1671, Travellers at Rest is an oil painting applied to a wooden panel. The work measures 36 cm in height and 30 cm in width. Created in Haarlem, the piece exemplifies the genre art tradition through its depiction of a scene involving travelers.
The combination of oil paint on panel was a standard material choice for Dutch Golden Age artists of this period, allowing for the detailed rendering characteristic of the era's genre scenes.
History & Provenance
The painting was created by Adriaen van Ostade in 1671, as indicated by the artist’s date on the work itself. It is a panel painting measuring 36 cm in height and 30 cm in width.
By the early 19th century, the painting entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam under the Kabinet van Heteren Gevers designation. It remains part of the museum’s holdings.
The painting Travellers at Rest is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, specifically within the Kabinet van Heteren Gevers. The work was acquired by the museum from Adriaan Leonard van Heteren Gevers. It is cataloged with the accession number SK-A-17320049. The artwork was created in 1671 in Haarlem.
Context
Adriaen van Ostade's 1671 oil painting Travellers at Rest was created during the Dutch Golden Age in Haarlem, reflecting the genre painting tradition of everyday life. The work, housed in the Rijksmuseum's Kabinet van Heteren Gevers collection, exemplifies van Ostade's focus on peasant subjects within his broader oeuvre of tavern and countryside scenes. Scholarship situates it within van Ostade's artistic context as a contemporary of the Haarlem school, where his genre works were valued for their narrative detail and observational realism.
Overview
Travellers at Rest is a 1671 oil painting by Adriaen van Ostade, held at the Rijksmuseum.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts three men resting under a tree, capturing a moment of leisure. The figures are engaged in relaxed activities, such as cleaning a pipe and laughing, conveying a sense of camaraderie.
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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.
Interior of a Tavern
Interior tavern scene with peasants drinking and smoking
Soldiers Breaking into a Peasant's Cottage
Smokers and Drinkers
The card players
The Boors' Concert
Peasants Playing Cards
Interior of a peasant hut
Genre scene in the countryside
Music in the kitchen
Peasant Children Dancing- Travellers by a well