The rat-catcher

Professional rat-catchers were commonplace in seventeenth century time, playing a crucial role in maintaining public health. Many artists, including Cornelis Visscher II, Pieter de Bloot, Adriaen van de Venne, and Rembrandt van Rijn, took up the theme in paintings and prints. In a certificate dated 12 September 2007, Margaret Klinge dates the present painting to the 1660s, by which time David Teniers II had already established himself as a successful genre painter and had become the official court painter in Brussels.