Adriaen van Ostade, A Peasant holding a Jug and a Pipe

In this exuberant painting of a peasant, probably outside an inn, Adriaen van Ostade shows his ability to portray the human condition. We sense the giddiness of the drunken peasant as he sweeps backwards, jug uncovered to drink straight from its neck. His mouth is open – perhaps he’s singing a bawdy song – and his eyes are watery and unfocused, but he’s happy.

Van Ostade has displayed different textures with almost tangible reality: the glossy, weighty earthenware jug and its tin lid; the flesh of the hand; the creases in the sleeve and the fur collar above. A wisp of hair peeps out from the leather cap beneath the tall felt hat. The face itself is not just caricature, but seemingly flesh and blood – the slack mouth, the taut red skin of the swollen nose, the sunken, wrinkled eyes and cheeks, and the protruding Adam’s apple. He may be an entertaining, nameless character, but he’s a real person with whom we can engage.