Artwork
Tavern interior with dancing peasants,
Tavern interior with dancing peasants, is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Richard Brakenburgh. It dates from 1696 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The setting is densely furnished with objects characteristic of tavern life, including tankards, a large barrel (barrique), and a fire pot.
Created in 1690, this genre scene by Richard Brakenburgh portrays a lively interior of an inn populated by dancing peasants. The composition captures a moment of rustic revelry, featuring figures engaged in dance while others smoke or play the violin. The setting is densely furnished with objects characteristic of tavern life, including tankards, a large barrel (barrique), and a fire pot.
Domestic elements such as a broom and basket appear alongside a dog, grounding the scene in a specific, humble environment. As a work of genre art, the painting represents the social customs and leisure activities of the lower classes during the late seventeenth century, focusing on the energetic atmosphere of communal celebration within a public drinking house.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, measuring approximately 67 × 83.5 cm and dated 1690. It belongs to the genre scene category, portraying a tavern interior with dancing peasants accompanied by a dog, a violin, a broom, a basket, a fire pot, and drinking vessels such as a tankard and a Barrique. The composition emphasizes everyday leisure activities, rendered with the characteristic brushwork of Richard Brakenburgh, whose style combines precise detail with a lively, narrative approach typical of late‑Baroque Dutch genre painting.
The painting’s formal qualities include a balanced arrangement of figures, careful handling of light and shadow, and a rich palette of earth tones that reinforce the convivial atmosphere.
History & Provenance
Richard Brakenburgh executed the oil painting Tavern interior with dancing peasants in 1690. Created on canvas, the work depicts a lively genre scene featuring peasants dancing within an inn setting. The piece has been attributed to the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it remains housed.
Historical records indicate the museum as the owner of this specific composition, which measures 67 by 83.5 centimeters. No earlier ownership history or specific commission details are provided in the available documentation, though the date of inception is firmly established as 1690.
The painting Tavern interior with dancing peasants by Richard Brakenburgh is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Created in 1690, this oil on canvas work depicting a genre scene of peasants dancing in an inn remains under the ownership of this institution. The provided sources confirm the museum as both the current location and the owning entity.
However, the available documentation does not contain specific inventory or accession numbers for the work, nor does it list any details regarding its exhibition history.
Overview
Richard Brakenburgh's 1696 oil painting, Tavern Interior with Dancing Peasants, exemplifies the Dutch Golden Age tradition of genre scenes. This work captures a boisterous gathering within a dimly lit tavern, where figures engage in various activities. The composition highlights the lively atmosphere through its depiction of movement and social interaction, offering a glimpse into everyday life during the period. It is currently housed in the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
Artist & collection
Artist
Richard Brakenburgh or Brakenburg (22 May 1650, in Haarlem – 28 December 1702, in Haarlem), was a Dutch Golden Age painter.
