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Lot Essay
David Ryckaert III studied under his father, a painter of peasant scenes and still lifes, before being admitted to the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp in 1637, of which he became Dean in 1652. From a family of artists, he was intimately connected to others too, Gonzales Coques was his brother-in-law, and Ambrosius Brueghel's wife acted as godmother to his youngest child.
In his early career Ryckaert was a follower of Adriaen Brouwer; this was apparent not only in his choice of subject matter, tavern interiors, but in the contorted physiognomies of the peasants he painted smoking and drinking, such as those in Peasants drinking in a barn interior (Dresden, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister). However, as his style matured he moved away from Brouwer and became closer to David Teniers the Younger.
The relationship to other works of Ryckaert's mature period is also clear. The present picture demonstrates the subdued lighting effects that unify foreground and background and which are characteristic of his best work. These can be seen in his last dated picture, The Alehouse (Antwerp, Huis Osterrieth), for example, which also contains a central group of merrymaking figures arranged around a table, with background figures and a landscape element. Furthermore, the old couple at the end of the table frequently reoccur in Ryckaert's other pictures, singly or together, such as the Cobbler and his wife (Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum).
In his early career Ryckaert was a follower of Adriaen Brouwer; this was apparent not only in his choice of subject matter, tavern interiors, but in the contorted physiognomies of the peasants he painted smoking and drinking, such as those in Peasants drinking in a barn interior (Dresden, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister). However, as his style matured he moved away from Brouwer and became closer to David Teniers the Younger.
The relationship to other works of Ryckaert's mature period is also clear. The present picture demonstrates the subdued lighting effects that unify foreground and background and which are characteristic of his best work. These can be seen in his last dated picture, The Alehouse (Antwerp, Huis Osterrieth), for example, which also contains a central group of merrymaking figures arranged around a table, with background figures and a landscape element. Furthermore, the old couple at the end of the table frequently reoccur in Ryckaert's other pictures, singly or together, such as the Cobbler and his wife (Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum).