Details
DAVID TENIERS II (ANTWERP 1610-1690 BRUSSELS)
A tavern scene
signed and dated 'D TENIERS / F 1634' (lower right, on the table)
oil on panel
1258 x 1638 in. (32.1 x 41.5 cm.)
Provenance
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 7 July 1989, lot 57.
with Galerie de Jonckheere, Geneva, by 2000, from whom acquired by the present owner.
Special notice
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Lot Essay

Throughout his prolific career, Teniers frequently treated the subject of tavern interiors, taking up a theme popularised by Adriaen Brouwer in the 1630s. In many of these, including the present canvas, Teniers used an L-shaped arrangement, a compositional scheme he favoured from relatively early on in his career, with the principal action taking place in the shallower foreground space, and subsidiary figures in the receding part of the interior, such as the figure in the doorway. Teniers was a sharp observer of human nature. Here the primary focus of the composition is the drinking man and woman in the foreground. He has captured a moment in which the man is seemingly paying a prostitute and touches her face suggestively as she returns his knowing look. The inclusion of a still life element in the foreground was a favourite Teniers motif: here he showcases his touch with the fine rendering of the haphazardly scattered pots and candle to the right.

We are grateful to Dr Margret Klinge for confirming the attribution on the basis of a photograph.
Post Lot Text
This lot has been imported from outside the EU for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on the invoice. Please see Conditions of Sale for further information.

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