Peasants Outside a Farm Slaughtering a Pig
c. 1652
Medium
etching, with touches of drypoint, on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 11.7 × 11.7 cm (4 5/8 × 4 5/8 in.) sheet: 12.1 × 12 cm (4 3/4 × 4 3/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1945.5.102
Art Historical Context
Adriaen van Ostade *Peasants Outside a Slaughtering a Pig*c. 1652) captures a raw slice of 17th-century Dutch rural life. This intimate etching depicts peasants engaged in the gritty communal task of butchering a pig, a common winter ritual that provided sustenance through the cold months. Van Ostade a master of Dutch Golden Age genre scenes, specialized in portraying the boisterous world of peasants—often with a mix of humor, empathy, and unflinching realism—drawing from the influence of Rembrandt, his early teacher. Rendered in etching with subtle touches of drypoint on laid paper, the prin...
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 ...