Peasants merrymaking in a tavern

Adriaen van Ostade began his painting career in the studio of Frans Hals, where he likely crossed paths with the artist Adriaen Brouwer. It was the latter who had a decisive influence on the young artist's genre scenes. Ostade's early works follow Brouwer's caricature-like style, but his later works take a more sensitive approach to his subjects. The bagpipe player is a theme van Ostade returned to on a number of occasions. A similar painting (fig. 1), now in a private collection, also depicts the musician standing on a table above a group of merry-makers in an interior. Here shown in shadow, the bagpipe player is at the center of the composition, around which vignettes of peasant life are arranged.