DAVID TENIERS II (ANTWERP 1610-1690 BRUSSELS)

Throughout his prolific career, Teniers frequently treated the subject of tavern interiors, taking up a theme popularised by Adriaen Brouwer in the 1630s. In many of these, including the present canvas, Teniers used an L-shaped arrangement, a compositional scheme he favoured from relatively early on in his career, with the principal action taking place in the shallower foreground space, and subsidiary figures in the receding part of the interior, such as the figure in the doorway. Teniers was a sharp observer of human nature. Here the primary focus of the composition is the drinking man and woman in the foreground. He has captured a moment in which the man is seemingly paying a prostitute and touches her face suggestively as she returns his knowing look. The inclusion of a still life element in the foreground was a favourite Teniers motif: here he showcases his touch with the fine rendering of the haphazardly scattered pots and candle to the right.

We are grateful to Dr Margret Klinge for confirming the attribution on the basis of a photograph.