Artwork
Interior with two men by the fire
Interior with two men by the fire is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Quirijn van Brekelenkam. It dates from 1664 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Historically, this work was interpreted as a pendant to another piece by the same artist, titled Interior with Angler and Man at Spinning Wheel and Reel.
The painting depicts an interior scene featuring two elderly men seated beside an open fireplace. One figure holds a brown beer mug, while the other is engaged in lighting his pipe using a fire test. Hanging on the wall behind them is a large board displaying the numbers one through nine, marked with notches or tally lines below each digit.
Historically, this work was interpreted as a pendant to another piece by the same artist, titled Interior with Angler and Man at Spinning Wheel and Reel. The composition serves as a genre representation of domestic life, focusing on the specific activities and objects within the room.
Technique & Style
The painting is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel, a medium typical of 17th-century Dutch genre scenes. The composition shows two elderly men seated beside a hearth, one holding a brown beer mug while the other prepares to light his pipe, capturing a quiet domestic moment. A large decorative panel behind them displays numerals 1 through 9 with carved motifs, adding symbolic depth to the interior space.
The work is signed and dated 'Q·Brekelenkam·1664' in the lower right corner, confirming its authorship and year. Originally part of Gerrit van der Pot’s collection, it was acquired in 1808 from his estate sale in Rotterdam by J.J. de Wit, later entering the collection of the Koninklijk Museum, predecessor of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
History & Provenance
Interior with two men by the fire was painted by Quirijn van Brekelenkam in 1664. The panel is signed and dated "Q·Brekelenkam·1664" at the lower right.
The work originated in the collection of the Rotterdam collector Gerrit van der Pot. On 6 June 1808 it was offered as a single lot at the Van der Pot estate auction in Rotterdam, paired with the pendant Interior with hengelaar en man bij spoelrad en haspel, also by Van Brekelenkam. The lot was purchased for 850 guilders by J.J. de Wit on behalf of the Koninklijk Museum, the predecessor of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where the painting has since remained.
The work is held in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Its inventory number is SK-C-1197.
It was acquired in 1808 through the Rotterdam sale of Gerrit van der Pot’s collection; on 6 June 1808 the painting was purchased together with its pendant for 850 Dutch guilders by J. J. de Wit for the Koninklijk Museum, the predecessor of the Rijksmuseum.
Overview
Quirijn van Brekelenkam’s Interior with Two Men by the Fire (1664) is an oil painting that records a quiet domestic scene. Executed in the Dutch Baroque period, the work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection and exemplifies the fijnschilder tradition of meticulous, small‑scale genre painting.
Context
The work reflects a broader 17th‑century Dutch interest in domestic interiors and the moral undertones of modest, contemplative living. Such interior genre scenes often served as visual reflections on temperance, hospitality, and the quiet virtues of middle‑class life.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Quirijn or Quiringh Gerritsz van Brekelenkam (1622/29, Zwammerdam – 1669/79, Leiden) was a Dutch Baroque genre painter.
