Peasant Family Praying Before a Meal
Medium
etching, with touches of drypoint, on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 15.3 x 13 cm (6 x 5 1/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.8309
Art Historical Context
Adriaen van Ostade's *Peasant Family Praying Before a Meal* (1653) captures a tender moment of rural Dutch life during the Golden Age. This intimate etching depicts a humble family gathered around a modest table, heads bowed in prayer before their simple repast. Van Ostade, a master of genre scenes, drew inspiration from Rembrandt and specialized in portraying peasants with earthy realism and subtle humor, highlighting everyday virtues like piety and familial bonds amid 17th-century Holland's prosperity. The artwork's historical significance lies in its reflection of Dutch Calvinist values, w...
About the Artist
Adriaen van Ostade · 1610–1685
Adriaen Jansz. van Ostade (1610-1685) was a Dutch Baroque painter and printmaker who specialized in genre scenes of peasant life. Born and raised in Haarlem, he became one of the most prolific and celebrated artists of the Dutch Golden Age, producing over 800 paintings, 50 etchings, and numerous drawings. Van Ostade's significance in art history lies in his masterful depiction of peasant life, a ...