Artwork
The Breakfast
The Breakfast is a print by the Baroque artist Adriaen van Ostade. It dates from 1664 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
The Breakfast, a 17th-century print by Adriaen van Ostade, captures a chaotic domestic scene of six individuals engaged in a meal amidst a cluttered, humble interior.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts everyday life, focusing on the mundane activities of common people, underscored by the inscription 'After many years, a feast comes to the poor man', highlighting the rarity of abundance for the impoverished.
Technique & Style
Van Ostade employed strong, expressive lines to convey light and shadow, imbuing the scene with vitality, characteristic of the Baroque style's emphasis on dynamic contrasts.
History & Provenance
Created circa 1664, The Breakfast is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection, exemplifying van Ostade's genre scenes of ordinary life during the Dutch Golden Age.
Artist & collection
Artist
Adriaen van Ostade (baptized as Adriaen Jansz Hendricx 10 December 1610 – buried 2 May 1685) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of genre works, showing the everyday life of ordinary men and women.
Peasant Settling his Debt
Man Paying the Landlady at an Inn
Peasants Feasting at an Inn
Peasant Family in an Interior wtih the Father Feeding a Child
Peasant Family Entertained by a Fiddler with a Hunchback
The Family
Peasant Family in an Interior with the Mother Feeding a Child
The Dance in the Inn
Violin Player Seated in a Tavern
Peasant Family Entertained by a Fiddler with a Hunchback
Breakfast Piece
The Woman Spinning