Rural Tavern

Egbert van Heemskerck the Elder is known mainly for his scenes of ordinary people, often with a satirical undertone. The professions were frequently the target of comment in seventeenth-century Dutch genre painting. The quackery of doctors and dentists was particularly sharply criticised. In their turn, settings such as this Tavern Scene denounce the excessive consumption of alcohol. In the early…

Egbert van Heemskerck the Elder is known mainly for his scenes of ordinary people, often with a satirical undertone. The professions were frequently the target of comment in seventeenth-century Dutch genre painting. The quackery of doctors and dentists was particularly sharply criticised. In their turn, settings such as this Tavern Scene denounce the excessive consumption of alcohol. In the early 1680s Van Heemskerck moved to London. His satirical paintings often led him into conflict with the English king, Charles II. Stylistically, his work is hard to distinguish from that of his son, Egbert Jaspersz. van Heemskerck.