Pleasures of Occupation
Medium
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 4 3/8 x 6 in. (11.1 x 15.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.364.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Cornelis Bloemaert's *Pleasures of Occupation is a delicate etching and engraving that captures intimate scenes of leisure, featuring men engaged in drinking and sleeping. This small print, measuring just 4 3/8 x 6 inches, invites viewers into a moment of everyday indulgence, its title playfully—or perhaps ironically—suggesting these idle pursuits as fulfilling "occupations." Produced by the Dutch artist during an era when printmaking flourished in the Netherlands, the work exemplifies the meticulous techniques of etching, which allows for fluid, spontaneous lines, combined with engraving's pr...