Tag Archives: Fine Art Friday

February 13, 2026 · 6:00 am

#FineArtFriday: A Merry Company in an Arbor by Adriaen van de Venne 1615

Artist: Adriaen van de Venne (circa 1589–1662)

Title: A Merry Company in an Arbor

Date    1615

Medium: oil on panel

Dimensions: height: 164 mm (6.45 in); width: 230 mm (9.05 in)

Collection: Getty Center

What I love about this painting:

Good heavens, where should I start? This is now my second favorite Dutch Renaissance painting ever. (Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s Hunters in the Snow is my favorite). Adriaen van de Venne is now in the top five of my favorite artists simply because of his unrepentantly Dutch sense of humor. I want to be Dutch when I grow up!

So, let’s have a look at the story Adriaen is telling us. The action is happening in the left foreground. Everyone loves a good kegger … I mean … picnic in the woods, especially after being cooped up all winter. We get dressed in some nice summer finery and everyone brings food, and the hosts provide the drinks.

Of course, the uncles all get a bit deep into the free beer and suddenly a tree climbing contest is on. Unfortunately, Cousin Dirck loses the battle with gravity, as does Uncle Hans. Aunt Irma barely dodges her plummeting spouse, and Cousin Aart yells at Dirck to get up and stop acting like a fool. Cousin Berthe, Dirk’s new bride, is mortified, as she has only just met her spouse’s extended family and had hoped to make a better impression.

Everyone else pretends nothing happened, business as usual. It’s the way family gatherings are, with noisy well-fed people having a good time.

Other groups picnicking in the forest and meadow pretend not to hear the ruckus, but a few nosy neighbors gawk. The gossip will hit the streets before sundown, but other than that, it’s a fine day for a frolic in the forest, one that the Brueghels would have enjoyed.

Humor aside, this is a wonderful, well-executed painting. Adriaen van de Venne has captured one of the most hilarious family get-togethers ever.

About the artist, vis Wikipedia:

Adriaen Pietersz van de Venne (1589 – 12 November 1662), was a versatile Dutch Golden Age painter of allegories, genre subjects, and portraits, as well as a miniaturist, book illustrator, designer of political satires, and versifier.

Van de Venne was born in Delft. According to Houbraken he learned Latin in Leiden. He learned to paint from the master goldsmith and painter Simon de Valk, and afterwards learned engraving from Jeronimus van Diest, a good painter of grisailles. He then moved to Middelburg in 1614 where he was influenced by Jan Brueghel the Elder and Pieter Brueghel the Elder. [1]

To read more about this artist, go to Adriaen van de Venne – Wikipedia.

Credits and Attributions

IMAGE: Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:Adriaen van de Venne (Dutch – A Merry Company in an Arbor – Google Art Project.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Adriaen_van_de_Venne_(Dutch_-_A_Merry_Company_in_an_Arbor_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg&oldid=1034439061 (accessed February 12, 2026).

[1] Wikipedia contributors, “Adriaen van de Venne,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adriaen_van_de_Venne&oldid=1330070271 (accessed February 12, 2026).

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February 6, 2026 · 6:00 am

#FineArtFriday: a second look at “Under flowering trees” by Adolf Kaufmann

Adolf_Kaufmann_Under_the_treesjpgArtist: Adolf Kaufmann (1848–1916)

Title: Under flowering trees

Date: before 1916

Medium: oil on canvas

Inscription: signed A. Kaufmann

What I love about this painting:

I first featured this painting in 2023. Adolph Kaufmann was brilliant at depicting the kind of misty rain we often get in spring. Here, he gives us a beautiful spring day with dew clinging to the grass, along with apple and cherry trees in full bloom. The weather is cool and damp with mist rising the way spring mornings often are here in the Pacific Northwest.

Chickens roam the orchard, and two women are digging, breaking the ground for a spring garden.

To the left is a weathered building. Is it a barn? Is it their home? It’s hidden behind the shrubbery so it’s difficult to tell, but it has no window, so I think it may be a barn.

Nothing is romanticized—we see it the way the artist did on that spring day over a century ago.

About the Artist, via Wikipedia:

Adolf Kaufmann (15 May 1848, in Troppau – 25 November 1916, in Vienna) was an Austrian landscape and marine artist.

He was initially self-taught, but completed his studies with the animal painter, Émile van Marcke, in Paris and undertook several study trips, throughout Europe and the Middle East. His residence alternated between Paris, Berlin, Düsseldorf and Munich.

In 1890, he decided to settle in Vienna and opened a studio in the Wieden district. In 1900, together with Carl von Merode [de] and Heinrich Lefler, he opened an “Art School for Ladies”. He continued to visit Paris frequently and, when he painted there, signed his works with the pseudonym “A. Guyot”. Other names he signed with include “A. Papouschek”, “G. Salvi”, “A. Jarptmann”, “R. Neiber”, “J. Rollin” and “M. Bandouch”. Why he did this is unclear, although his choice of signature often reflects stylistic differences.

His landscapes were influenced by the Barbizon school and the style known as “paysage intime,” both of which he was exposed to in France during the 1870s. (The paysage intimate, French for “familiar landscape,” was a style of painting that dealt with simple, simple landscapes and emerged in the mid-19th century. It was the predecessor of the Impressionist style.) [1]

Credits and Attributions:

IMAGE: Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:Adolf Kaufmann Unter blühenden Bäumen.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Adolf_Kaufmann_Unter_bl%C3%BChenden_B%C3%A4umen.jpg&oldid=623159308 (accessed February 5, 2026.)

[1] Wikipedia contributors, “Adolf Kaufmann,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adolf_Kaufmann&oldid=1094252143 (accessed February 5, 2026).

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January 30, 2026 · 6:00 am

#FineArtFriday: Flock of Sheep with Shepherdess on a Rainy Day by Adloph Kaufmann

Artist: Adolf Kaufmann (1848–1916)

Title: Flock of Sheep with Shepherdess on a Rainy Day

Date: by 1916

Medium: oil on canvas

Dimensions: 102 × 113 cm (40.1 × 44.4 in)

What I love about this painting:

Oh those poor miserable sheep. Sure, they’re wearing wool coats, but it’s autumn, and the rain is cold. The shepherdess isn’t really enjoying the day either, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do, and this girl’s job is shepherding the sheep.

Seriously, this is a wonderful painting. Kaufmann shows us an exceedingly realistic rainy day in a wooded meadow, with water pooling in muddy places and bedraggled sheep getting their feet wet. Somehow he has managed to convey the sullen mood of the flock, which I can relate to. Fortunately for them, the shepherdess is most likely taking them to higher ground where they can graze without standing in water.

I feel their misery. The rains have returned in force here, and I am glad I no longer have sheep to shepherd, rain or shine. Still, I must leave my cozy apartment and drive to the grocery store, etc., grateful that I am in my warm, dry car and not walking the muddy path Kaufmann shows us in this painting.

About the Artist, via Wikipedia:

Adolf Kaufmann (15 May 1848, in Troppau – 25 November 1916, in Vienna) was a landscape and marine artist from Austria-Hungary.

He was initially self-taught, but completed his studies with the animal painter, Émile van Marcke, in Paris and undertook several study trips, throughout Europe and the Middle East. His residence alternated between Paris, Berlin, Düsseldorf and Munich.

In 1890, he decided to settle in Vienna and opened a studio in the Wieden district. In 1900, together with Carl von Merode [de] and Heinrich Lefler, he opened an “Art School for Ladies”. He continued to visit Paris frequently and, when he painted there, signed his works with the pseudonym “A. Guyot”. Other names he signed with include “A. Papouschek”, “G. Salvi”, “A. Jarptmann”, “R. Neiber”, “J. Rollin” and “M. Bandouch”. Why he did this is unclear, although his choice of signature often reflects stylistic differences. [1]

Credits and Attributions

IMAGE: Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:Adolf Kaufmann – Flock of Sheep with Shepherdess on a Rainy Day.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Adolf_Kaufmann_-_Flock_of_Sheep_with_Shepherdess_on_a_Rainy_Day.jpg&oldid=1114083148 (accessed January 29, 2026).

[1] Wikipedia contributors, “Adolf Kaufmann,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adolf_Kaufmann&oldid=1332903934 (accessed January 29, 2026).

 

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January 23, 2026 · 6:00 am

#FineArtFriday: Spring Landscape by Ellen Favorin ca 1900

Artist: Ellen Favorin (1853–1919)

Title: English: Spring Landscape (Suomi: Kevätmaisema)

Genre: landscape painting

Date: circa 1900

Dimensions: height: 20.7 cm (8.1 in)

Collection: HAM Helsinki Art Museum

What I love about this painting:

Ellen Favorin shows us a pleasant spring day beside a calm lake, with leaves on the birch trees just beginning to bud out. I especially like how she has portrayed the foliage and shrubbery along the lake shore, with the water high from the spring snowmelt, and the birch trees standing with their feet submerged.

Someone is enjoying a quiet day of fishing, and I would love to be them! What a perfect day.

I will find more paintings by this artist and feature them in the future.

 

About the artist, via Wikipedia:

Elsa “Ellen” Favorin (31 December 1853– 27 November 1919 was a Swedish-speaking Finnish painter.

Her parents were Anders Abraham Favorin and Lovisa Ingman. After attending the painting schools in Helsinki and Stockholm, she continued her studies in Munich, Düsseldorf and at the Académie Julian in Paris. She often painted landscapes and was one of the artists who joined Victor Westerholm in the artists’ colony at Önningeby on the island of Åland. She died together with her sister in a fire at their home in Lohja in 1919. [1]

As you can see, Wikipedia had little to say about her. However, you can find an excellent and comprehensive biography of Ellen Favorin at NiceArtGallery.com.

Credits and Attributions:

IMAGE: Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:Ellen Favorin – Spring Landscape.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Ellen_Favorin_-_Spring_Landscape.jpg&oldid=864051225 (accessed January 22, 2026).

[1] Wikipedia contributors, “Ellen Favorin,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ellen_Favorin&oldid=1333359650 (accessed January 22, 2026).

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January 16, 2026 · 6:00 am

#FineArtFriday: An Old Red Cedar on the Rocks near West Manchester, Massachusetts by Marianne North 1871

Artist: Marianne North (–1890)

Title: An Old Red Cedar on the Rocks near West Manchester, Massachusetts

Date: 1871

Dimensions: height: 35 cm (13.7 in)

Collection: Marianne North Gallery

What I love about this painting:

Marianne North gives us a sunny day and the portrait of a tree whose life was written in its twisted trunk and tangled branches. This tree has seen some stuff!

I can relate to that tree. This staunch old lady is perched on a promontory overlooking the sea, a perfect view of all the world. However, this tree has carved its living from a harsh environment.

Trees must grow where their seeds fall, and seed that sprouted this cedar fell into a tiny crack on the cliffs, finding just enough soil to nourish the seedling. No gentle forest loam for this hardy monarch; salty air and violent storms are her companions.

I love the sunny day and the strength of this tree. Marianne North is a new artist to me, and I will post some of her other paintings as I come across them.

About the artist, via Wikipedia:

Marianne North (24 October 1830 – 30 August 1890) was an English biologist and botanical artist, known for her plant and landscape paintings, her extensive foreign travels, her writings, her plant discoveries and the creation of her gallery at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

North trained as a vocalist under Charlotte Helen Sainton-Dolby, but her voice failed, and she then devoted herself to painting flowers. After the death of her mother in 1855, she constantly travelled with her father, who was then member of parliament for Hastings; and on his death in 1869 she decided to pursue her early ambition of painting the flora of distant countries.

The scientific accuracy with which she documented plant life in all parts of the world, before photography became a practical option, gives her work a permanent value. Plant species named in her honour include Areca northiana, Chassalia northiana, Crinum northianum, Kniphofia northiae, Nepenthes northiana, and the genus name Northia.

Kew Gardens claims that the North Gallery (situated in the east section of the gardens) is “the only permanent solo exhibition by a female artist in Britain”. In 2008 Kew obtained a substantial grant from the National Lottery, which enabled it to mount a major restoration of both the gallery and the paintings inside.

On 26 September 2016, the television channel BBC Four broadcast Kew’s Forgotten Queen. The documentary told the story of North’s life. [1]

For a great video biography of the artist, go to YouTube:  The Remarkable Miss North

Credits and Attributions:

IMAGE: Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:Marianne North (1830-1890) – An Old Red Cedar on the Rocks near West Manchester, Massachusetts – MN207 – Marianne North Gallery.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Marianne_North_(1830-1890)_-_An_Old_Red_Cedar_on_the_Rocks_near_West_Manchester,_Massachusetts_-_MN207_-_Marianne_North_Gallery.jpg&oldid=1030484784 (accessed January 15, 2026).

[1] Wikipedia contributors, “Marianne North,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marianne_North&oldid=1330628765 (accessed January 15, 2026).

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January 9, 2026 · 6:00 am

#FineArtFriday: a closer look at “Off the Coast of Cornwall” by William Trost Richards 1904

Artist: William Trost Richards  (1833–1905)

Title: Off the Coast of Cornwall

  • Genre: landscape art
  • Date: 1904
  • Medium: oil on canvas
  • Dimensions : Height: 55.9 cm (22 in); Width: 91.4 cm (35.9 in)
  • Collection   Private collection
  • Inscriptions: Signature and date bottom left: W.T. Richards.04.

What I love about this painting:

I first featured this painting in June of 2020. This is one of my favorite seascapes, as it captures the cold sense of danger that is a storm at seashore. The waves crash against the rocks, and only a fool goes wading along this stretch of the beach.

But after the sea calms, the shore will be littered with rare unbroken shells and driftwood, a picker’s paradise.

William Trost Richards shows us a blustery day along the rugged coast of Cornwall. Intermittent rain squalls blow through, and when one passes the sun peeps out, the bright lull between storms. The sea is that dark greenish color reflecting the sky, a quality stormy waters here in the North Pacific coast often have. It is of a shore half a world away from me (in England), but it feels as familiar as if it were the coast of my home, Washington State.

What I love most about how Richards depicted the water is the milk-glass opaqueness of the green water and the way the light seems to shine through the waves. Luminist landscapes emphasize tranquility, and often depict calm, reflective water and a soft, hazy sky.

About the Artist via Wikipedia:

William Trost Richards  rejected the romanticized and stylized approach of other Hudson River painters and instead insisted on meticulous factual renderings. His views of the White Mountains are almost photographic in their realism. In later years, Richards painted almost exclusively marine watercolors.

In the summer of 1874 Richards visited Newport, Rhode Island, and became enthralled with the area’s sublime coastline. He purchased his first of several Newport area homes in 1875 and continued to paint there for the rest of his life, dividing time between Newport and Chester County, Pennsylvania, where he purchased a farm near the Brandywine in 1884. Richards made many excursions to Europe, especially Britain and Ireland, where he produced an important body of work. [1]

Richards was one of the few 19th century American landscape artists who was equally skilled as a watercolorist and a painter in oils. His drawings are considered among the finest of his generation. Many of his drawing still survive.

Today, Richards is best known for his luminist seascapes. Paintings such as the one featured here today demonstrate his mastery of light and atmosphere. His favorite subjects were the Rhode Island, New Jersey and British coasts.

Credits and Attributions:

IMAGE: Off the Coast of Cornwall, by William Trost Richards Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:William Trost Richards – Off the Coast of Cornwall.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:William_Trost_Richards_-_Off_the_Coast_of_Cornwall.jpg&oldid=1127134702 (accessed January 8, 2026).

[1] Wikipedia contributors, “William Trost Richards,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Trost_Richards&oldid=1324003703 (accessed January 8, 2026).

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December 26, 2025 · 6:00 am

#FineArtFriday: “Bringing Home the Yule Log,” A Victorian Christmas Card

This lovely, whimsical card is a brilliant example of the art that can be found on Christmas cards, which became popular in the late 19th and 20th centuries, and while they have fallen out of favor for many nowadays, I still love the art.

About Christmas Cards, via Wikipedia:

The production of Christmas cards was, throughout the 20th century, a profitable business for many stationery manufacturers, with the design of cards continually evolving with changing tastes and printing techniques. The now widely recognized brand Hallmark Cards was established in 1913 by Joyce Hall with the help of brother Rollie Hall to market their self-produced Christmas cards. The Hall brothers capitalized on a growing desire for more personalized greeting cards, and reached critical success when the outbreak of World War I increased demand for cards to send to soldiers. [1]

I love the sentiment expressed at the bottom of this card:

“While Christmas is here, be all of good cheer.”

Christmas Day has gone, leaving behind the memory of cozy warmth, of a table laden with comfort food, sharing a holiday meal with one of my sons and a dear friend. Leaving the memory of talking with my other son and the daughters who live far away.

The old year is nearly over, and while the weather has been unusually stormy this last month, I have far more blessings than I can count.

My Christmas wish for you is: May you never lack for good food, warmth, and the companionship of people you love. May you always have books to read, and may happiness regularly cross your path.

Credits and Attributions:

IMAGE: Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:Victorian Christmas Card – 11222221966.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Victorian_Christmas_Card_-_11222221966.jpg&oldid=470244728 (accessed December 24, 2025).

[1] Wikipedia contributors, “Christmas card,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christmas_card&oldid=1321585292 (accessed December 26, 2025).

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December 19, 2025 · 6:00 am

#FineArtFriday:A French paddle tug bringing a barque into Boulogne Harbour in heavy weather by Thomas Bush Hardy

Artist: Thomas Bush Hardy (1842–1897)

Title: A French paddle tug bringing a barque into Boulogne harbour in heavy weather

Genre: marine art

Date: 19th century

Medium: oil on canvas

Dimensions: Frame: 556 mm x 1162 mm x 75 mm; Painting: 332 mm x 945 mm

Collection: Royal Museums Greenwich

Current location: Royal Museums Greenwich

 

What I like about this painting:

I love seascapes and especially depictions of storms. There is something compelling about the ferocity of nature … unless you are caught up in it. Thomas Bush Hardy shows us this quite clearly.

In the foreground, rocks jut from the waves, lurking and ready to destroy any vessel that should be dashed against them.

A crowd has overloaded the pier, watching as several ships loaded with passengers are tossed violently, with a steam-tug attempting to bring one safely into the harbor. One can almost feel the passengers’ fear, hear their prayers.

I hope they all made it to shore unharmed.

I also hope the pier didn’t collapse under the weight of the onlookers.

Here on the eastern shore of the North Pacific, we expect the winter weather to be cold and rainy, with snow politely falling in the mountains where it belongs and rivers and streams keeping to their banks as they should.

Frankly the weather here has been frightful, to paraphrase a popular Christmas song. Western Washington State has been beset with torrential rains and severe flooding. Many communities are cut off because of roads and bridges that have been washed away. I am fortunate, in that my neighborhood is on higher ground, and while my extended family is impacted by road and bridge closures, they are all safe.

About this painting via Wikimedia Commons:

A French paddle tug bringing a barque into Boulogne harbour in heavy weather

A dramatic painting showing a French paddle tug bringing a barque into the port of Boulogne. The event takes place in very heavy weather and the sea is shown crashing against the harbour wall at Boulogne on the left. The paddle tug can be seen in the centre of the picture, flying the French flag. Her smoke belches out as she struggles through the mountainous sea to the aid of the barque shown behind the tug with her sails lowered. Wreckage can be seen in the foreground and there is other shipping in the distance. On the harbour wall a large crowd has gathered to witness the rescue. [1]

About the artist, via Thomas Bush Hardy – Government Art Collection:

(1842 – 1897)

Thomas Bush Hardy, marine artist, was born in Sheffield. As a youth he travelled to America, where he fought on the side of the Union during the Civil War of 1860 to 1865. He then lived in France and Holland, before returning to England. He is best remembered for his paintings of the River Thames and English coastal shipping scenes. He regularly exhibited work at the Royal Academy and the New Watercolour Society between 1871 and 1897 and, in 1884, was elected a member of the Royal Society of British Artists. He died in London on 15 December 1897 and was survived by eight children, of whom three became artists, the most well-known being Dudley Hardy (1867-1922), a painter and illustrator. [2]

Credits and Attributions:

IMAGE: Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:A French paddle tug bringing a barque into Boulogne harbour in heavy weather RMG BHC2367.tiff,” Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:A_French_paddle_tug_bringing_a_barque_into_Boulogne_harbour_in_heavy_weather_RMG_BHC2367.tiff&oldid=995747273 (accessed December 17, 2025).

[1] Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:A French paddle tug bringing a barque into Boulogne harbour in heavy weather RMG BHC2367.tiff,” Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:A_French_paddle_tug_bringing_a_barque_into_Boulogne_harbour_in_heavy_weather_RMG_BHC2367.tiff&oldid=995747273 (accessed December 17, 2025).

[2]  Explore Thomas Bush Hardy, Department for Culture Media and Sport contributors, © 2025  Crown Copyright, https://artcollection.dcms.gov.uk/person/hardy-thomas-bush/ (accessed December 17, 2025).

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December 5, 2025 · 6:00 am

#FineArtFriday: A closer look at “The Sycamores” by Alexandre Calame 1854

1175px-'The_Sycamores'_by_Alexandre_Calame,_Cincinnati_Art_MuseumTitle: The Sycamores by Alexandre Calame

Genre: landscape art

Date: 1854

Medium: oil on canvas

Dimensions: height: 54.3 cm (21.3 in)

Collection: Cincinnati Art Museum

What I love about this painting:

I live in the Pacific Northwest, a part of the world where sycamore trees do not grow in the wild. They are native to the eastern United States and are often featured as part of the landscape in 18th and 19th-century American literature.

The trees featured in this painting are European Sycamores. When I first came across this painting in 2022, I was impressed by both their size and the rough, boulder-strewn landscape that is their home.

These are trees with a presence. They grow on a sunlit hillside and seem as tough as the boulders surrounding them. Storms may come and go, but these trees remain.

Like people, these trees have seen some stuff. No delicate hothouse specimens here; these are sturdy peasant trees, able to make do with whatever nature throws at them.

About the Artist, via Wikipedia:

Alexandre Calame (28 May 1810 – 19 March 1864) was a Swiss landscape painter, associated with the Düsseldorf School.

He was born in Arabie at the time belonging to Corsier-sur-Vevey, today a part of Vevey. He was the son of a skillful marble worker in Vevey, but because his father lost the family fortune, Calame could not concentrate on art, but rather he was forced to work in a bank from the age of 15. When his father fell from a building and then died, it was up to the young Calame to provide for his mother.

In his spare time he began to practice drawing small views of Switzerland. In 1829 he met his patron, the banker Diodati, who made it possible for him to study under landscape painter François Diday. After a few months he decided to devote himself fully to art.

In 1835 he began exhibiting his Swiss-Alps and forest paintings in Paris and Berlin. He became quite well known, especially in Germany, although Calame was more a drawer than an illustrator. He is associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. In 1842 he went to Paris and displayed his works Mont Blanc, the Jungfrau, the Brienzersee, the Monte Rosa and Mont Cervin.

Credits and Attributions:

Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:’The Sycamores’ by Alexandre Calame, Cincinnati Art Museum.JPG,” Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:%27The_Sycamores%27_by_Alexandre_Calame,_Cincinnati_Art_Museum.JPG&oldid=618822225 (accessed December 4, 2025).

Wikipedia contributors, “Alexandre Calame,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alexandre_Calame&oldid=1088977147 (accessed December 4, 2025).

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November 28, 2025 · 6:00 am

#FineArtFriday: “Feast in the Interior” by artist unknown, 17th century

Title: Feast in the Interior.

Artist: Unknown. Flemish School of the 17th century,

Medium: Oil on canvas.

Size: 57 x 89 cm.

What I love about this painting:

Based on the boy’s interactions with his mother, I would have titled this painting “It’s not my fault!” I assume she is his mother based on the level of frustration she is showing. (Speaking as a mother, frustrations do occasionally boil over.) This painting has been posted to Wikimedia Commons as a 17th-century Flemish painting possibly by the Circle of Frans Francken.

But the more I look at it, the more I wonder why an art historian came to that assessment. To me, this painting looks nothing like any of the paintings I have seen that are attributed to the Francken dynasty of painters. They were definitely active in Flanders during the 17th century, but to me, the composition and style are wrong, and honestly, the subject is a genre scene. The Franckens were more well-known for their excellent cabinet paintings, altar pieces, and religious subjects.

There is one wedding scene attributed to Frans Francken the Elder, which could be why this is attributed to a follower of his. But the people in that painting are quite stiff, a style more reminiscent of Pieter Brueghel the Younger. Frans Francken (I) – The Wedding Dance – Frans Francken the Elder – Wikipedia

These people have a sense of movement and life, the style I think of late 1600s rather than early. This is why I would think it the work of a follower of one of the later artists. An admirer of Jan Steen’s work comes to mind, but it could be a follower of any of the great later genre artist.

The clothing is definitely that of the early 17th century, which is in favor of Frans Francken. However, artists often dressed actors in costumes. Rembrandt most certainly did.

Also, composition of this painting, and certain style features (such as the shape of legs and how the garters are shown) shows us the kind of scene a follower of Dutch Golden Age painter Jan Steen, or a member of his workshop, might have painted.

This painting tells us a story. The tavern is full, the feast is on the table, and the innkeeper’s wife has had enough of Junior’s antics. A well-dressed man turns, ready to jump into the fray, and Junior deflects the blame, pointing to someone just out of the frame.

Beneath the table, several playing cards and a decoration from someone’s garment lie where they have fallen. The wine and ale flow, the ladies of dubious virtue are working the crowd, and the family that owns the tavern is struggling to serve their customers in the midst of the chaos.

This is a story with a moral wrapped in a sense of humor. The composition of this scene is full of symbolism. The positions of various hands, the bounty of oysters, and the clutter beneath the table are deliberately placed to convey subtext that a 17th-century viewer would immediately understand.

The symbolic gestures of the hands could reference tenets of one or the other of the two warring religious faiths, which might have influenced the attribution toward Frans Francken.

You can read about the Francken Dynasty here: Francken family – Wikipedia

And you can read about the brilliant Jan Steen and his merry, chaotic genre scenes here: Jan Steen – Wikipedia

And I wish I could tell you more about the painter who created this wonderful glimpse of tavern life in the 17th century.

Credits and Attributions:

IMAGE: Feast in the Interior, artist unknown. Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:Flämisch 17 Jh Festmahl im Interieur.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Fl%C3%A4misch_17_Jh_Festmahl_im_Interieur.jpg&oldid=1113684537 (accessed November 25, 2025).

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