Who painted Sketches from a Tavern: Woman Standing and Two Men Seated?

Sketches from a Tavern: Woman Standing and Two Men Seated was painted by Rembrandt in 1638.

Where can I see Sketches from a Tavern: Woman Standing and Two Men Seated?

Sketches from a Tavern: Woman Standing and Two Men Seated is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Sketches from a Tavern: Woman Standing and Two Men Seated?

Sketches from a Tavern: Woman Standing and Two Men Seated is associated with Baroque.

Artwork

Sketches from a Tavern: Woman Standing and Two Men Seated

Rembrandt , 1638

Sketches from a Tavern: Woman Standing and Two Men Seated is an ink drawing by the Baroque artist Rembrandt. It dates from 1638 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1638, this drawing by Rembrandt van Rijn depicts a brief interior scene set in a tavern. Executed with pen and brown ink on laid paper, the composition presents a standing woman on the left and two seated men on the right, arranged in a loose, informal grouping that suggests a moment captured in passing.

Subject & Meaning

The figures are rendered in everyday attire: the woman wears a simple, flowing dress topped with a modest hat, while the two men are dressed in plain garments and caps, seated on a bench. The work offers a glimpse of ordinary social interaction in a 17th‑century Dutch drinking establishment, emphasizing the mundane rather than a narrative episode.

Technique & Style

Rembrandt employs rapid, sketchy strokes and extensive cross‑hatching to suggest volume and shadow. The intersecting lines build texture across clothing and background, giving the drawing a gritty, unfinished quality. This approach reflects the artist’s practice of using quick observational studies to explore light, form, and gesture.

History & Provenance

The piece belongs to a series of tavern studies produced by Rembrandt during the late 1630s, a period when he frequently explored genre scenes. While specific ownership details are limited, the drawing is catalogued among his early pen‑and‑ink works and has been referenced in scholarly inventories of his oeuvre.

Artist & collection

Artist

Rembrandt

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), known mononymously as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and draughtsman.