Artwork
Two Peasants with a Glass of Wine
Two Peasants with a Glass of Wine is an oil painting by the Baroque artist David Teniers the Younger. It dates from 1645 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Consequently, the work represents a straightforward observation of peasant life rather than a complex symbolic narrative based on the available documentation.
The painting depicts two peasants engaged in the act of drinking wine, a scene characteristic of genre painting from the mid-seventeenth century. While the work clearly illustrates a moment of rural leisure, the available sources do not contain specific details regarding deeper iconographic programs, symbolic interpretations, or the intended moral meaning behind the figures' interaction. The title itself, Two Peasants with a Glass of Wine, defines the visual subject matter without elaborating on allegorical significance.
Consequently, the work represents a straightforward observation of peasant life rather than a complex symbolic narrative based on the available documentation.
Technique & Style
Two Peasants with a Glass of Wine is executed in oil on panel, a support typical of Teniers the Younger's small-scale cabinet pictures of the mid-1640s. The painting measures 23.2 by 18.1 centimeters, an intimate format suited to detailed genre scenes of peasant life. A wax seal on the verso of the panel links the work to the Camillo II Gonzaga collection, providing evidence of its early provenance.
The handling and stylistic qualities of the composition are characteristic of Teniers's mature genre style, with its close focus on figures rendered in a smooth, descriptive manner.
History & Provenance
David Teniers the Younger completed this oil painting on panel in 1645. Early ownership is indicated by a wax seal on the verso linking the work to the collection of Camillo II Gonzaga. By the mid-twentieth century, the piece was held by J. Baer in New York before moving to the Gallery Sanct Lucas in Vienna.
In 1965, the gallery sold the work to Nell V. Weidenhammer of Rockville, Maryland. Weidenhammer subsequently arranged a partial and promised gift to the National Gallery of Art in 1992, with the transfer of ownership officially completed in 2003.
Two Peasants with a Glass of Wine is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The provided sources do not list a specific exhibition history for this artwork.
Context
The painting depicts two humble peasants sharing a glass of wine, a subject that Teniers frequently used to explore everyday life with gentle humor and observational detail. Its composition and rendering reflect the influence of Flemish genre scenes while also anticipating the more intimate domestic interiors of later Dutch painters. The work is situated within the artist's broader output of tavern interiors and peasant figures, showcasing his skill in capturing texture and light.
It entered the National Gallery of Art collection through a series of transactions beginning in 1965, completed as a partial and promised gift in 2003.
Legacy
The painting influenced later genre scenes through its lively depiction of rural figures and domestic settings. Its provenance from private collections to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. has ensured continued scholarly attention to Teniers' role in seventeenth-century Flemish art. The work remains part of the National Gallery of Art's collection, accessible to the public.
Overview
Created around 1645, this oil on panel by David Teniers the Younger portrays a pair of elderly peasants seated side by side. The composition is intimate, focusing on the two figures as they share a moment of quiet conviviality.
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Artist & collection
Artist
David Teniers the Younger or David Teniers II was a Flemish Baroque painter, printmaker, and artist.
