A Peasant courting an Elderly Woman
- Artist: Adriaen van Ostade
- Date: 1653
- Medium: oil on wood
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is "A Peasant courting an Elderly Woman" by Adriaen van Ostade, painted in the Dutch tradition. The painting depicts a gentle scene of a man and woman, both likely in their sixties, engaged in a quiet moment together.
You can see that the man has his hand on top of the woman's, leaning towards her with a beer glass in his other hand. This might be a subtle hint at his intentions, perhaps even romantic ones. On the other hand, the woman is shyly smiling but hasn't yet made eye contact, suggesting she's unsure about this situation.
In Dutch art from this period, an unbroken clay pipe was often used as a symbol of virginity. So, in this context, it's likely that the artist is hinting at the woman's innocence and purity.
Adriaen van Ostade was a master painter known for his ability to capture human emotions with great sensitivity and empathy. He painted many small genre scenes, mostly focusing on everyday life, and over eight hundred of his works have been documented.
The painting you're looking at now is quite charming and showcases the artist's skill in conveying subtleties of human connection.
See it in person
A Peasant courting an Elderly Woman hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
