This painting, A Man and a Woman at Wine, was recognised as a work of exceptional quality in the 19th century and when it was shown in the National Exhibition in Leeds in 1868 it caused a stir with many dealers wanting to buy it.
A Man and a Woman at Wine
Viewers have often been puzzled by what is going on in the image. The Cheltenham Examiner wrote in 1899 that the painting depicts ‘a peasant and a serving woman – the woman with a jug and glass of liquor in her hands, and the man smoking apparently in playful proximity to her face, – its subject is hardly typical of an artist who ordinarily chose his models from the higher classes of society.’ However, if you look at his work as a whole, you can see that Metsu represents many different sections of society. His works sometimes have a symbolic meaning based on popular allegorical texts and prints.
GLW_CBCA_1899_1_37-copy-268×300
A Man and a Woman at Wine
Share this article
Follow us
A quick overview of the topics covered in this article.
