van Ostade, Adriaen, The Peasants' Quarrel (Der Messerkampf) also entitled Knife Fight (Le coup de couteau), 1653, B. 18

Adriaen van Ostade, Etching, The Peasants' Quarrel (Der Messerkampf) also entitled Knife Fight (Le coup de couteau), 1653, B. 18

$van Ostade Etching Signed, The Peasants\' Quarrel (Der Messerkampf) also entitled Knife Fight (Le coup de couteau), 1653, B. 18$

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$van Ostade Etching Signed, The Peasants\' Quarrel (Der Messerkampf) also entitled Knife Fight (Le coup de couteau), 1653, B. 18 (thumbnail 1)$ $van Ostade Etching Signed, The Peasants\' Quarrel (Der Messerkampf) also entitled Knife Fight (Le coup de couteau), 1653, B. 18 (thumbnail 2)$

Artist:	van Ostade, Adriaen (1610 - 1685)
Title:	The Peasants' Quarrel (Der Messerkampf) also entitled Knife Fight (Le coup de couteau), 1653, B. 18
Medium:	Original Etching
Image Size:	5 3/4 in x 4 7/8 in (14.6 cm x 12.4 cm)
Framed Size:	23 1/2 in x 22 3/4 in (59.7 cm x 57.8 cm)
Signed:	This work is signed and dated in the plate in the lower left hand side of the work 'A. Ostade 1653.'
Edition:	From State III (of State VIII)
Condition:	This work is in excellent condition, a fine, dark impression.
Price: Item# 2704	$SOLD Please visit the rest of our van Ostade fine art collection

Historical Description:
Depicting a group of rowdy peasants, this work is a classic genre narrative scene of Dutch life in the 17th Century. One man raises a dagger to another who cowers away from across the table. A woman clutches a young child amidst all the chaos, causing the viewer to ponder the safety of the woman and child in this dangerous situation. The seated man with his back turned to the viewer grabs at the peasant with the knife in an attempt to stop his violent action, relaying a sense of motion and suspense. Van Ostade brilliantly utilizes line and shadow to create a three dimensional space in which the viewer can witness a back window and room beyond the one in which the peasants dwell. The piece has a somewhat voyeuristic feel to it, as if the viewer is silently peaking in on a personal dispute. Created c.1653, this original etching is from the III State of VIII. Signed and dated in the plate, 'A. Ostade 1653' in the lower left. This work is printed on a fine laid paper. ILLUSTRATED AND DOCUMENTED IN: 1. Godefroy, Louis, The Complete Etchings of Adriaen Van Ostade, 1990, listed as cat no 18 on pgs 78 and 79. 2. Bartsch, The Illustrated Bartsch Vol. 1. Edited by Leonard J. Slatkes. New York: Abaris Books, 1981, listed as catalogue no. 18 on page 336. Provenance: ~Unidentified Collector's Stamp About the Framing: Museum-grade conservation framed in a Spanish-style black and gold moulding with silk mats and optical grade Plexiglas.

Historical Description:

Depicting a group of rowdy peasants, this work is a classic genre narrative scene of Dutch life in the 17th Century. One man raises a dagger to another who cowers away from across the table. A woman clutches a young child amidst all the chaos, causing the viewer to ponder the safety of the woman and child in this dangerous situation. The seated man with his back turned to the viewer grabs at the peasant with the knife in an attempt to stop his violent action, relaying a sense of motion and suspense. Van Ostade brilliantly utilizes line and shadow to create a three dimensional space in which the viewer can witness a back window and room beyond the one in which the peasants dwell. The piece has a somewhat voyeuristic feel to it, as if the viewer is silently peaking in on a personal dispute.

Created c.1653, this original etching is from the III State of VIII. Signed and dated in the plate, 'A. Ostade 1653' in the lower left. This work is printed on a fine laid paper.

ILLUSTRATED AND DOCUMENTED IN:
1. Godefroy, Louis, The Complete Etchings of Adriaen Van Ostade, 1990, listed as cat no 18 on pgs 78 and 79.
2. Bartsch, The Illustrated Bartsch Vol. 1. Edited by Leonard J. Slatkes. New York: Abaris Books, 1981, listed as catalogue no. 18 on page 336.

Provenance:
~Unidentified Collector's Stamp

About the Framing:
Museum-grade conservation framed in a Spanish-style black and gold moulding with silk mats and optical grade Plexiglas.

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Biography of Adriaen van Ostade

Adriaen van Ostade (1610 - 1685)

Adriaen Van Ostade was a Dutch genre painter and etcher. The eldest son of Jan Hendricx Ostade, a weaver from the town of Ostade near Eindhoven, Adriaen van Ostade was born in Haarlem on December 10, 1610. Although Adriaen and his brother Isaak were born in Haarlem, they adopted the name "van Ostade" as painters. Van Ostade studied under Frans Hals in 1627 and was very influenced by fellow student Adriaen Brouwer (1605-1638). In 1634, he joined the Lukas Guild in Haarlem of which he was later the head in 1647, 1661, and 1662. He typically depicted scenes of peasant life: tavern brawls, village fairs, and country quarters. Occasionally, van Ostade painted Biblical subjects, portraits, and landscapes. Later in his career, he adopted a warmer palette and deeper chiaroscuro (high contrast) effects after the style of Harmensz van Rijn Rembrandt (1606-1669). He died in 1685, a well-known artist of his time.