Circle Dance

Description

The Antwerp artist David Teniers the Younger specialized in scenes of merrymaking peasants, a staple of Flemish art since the mid-16th century. Although many of his peasant scenes include a huge cast of characters, this etching depicts a more intimate gathering. Two couples have joined together in a circle, spinning and kicking their heels in the air. In this period, bagpipers often stood on barrels when playing for large crowds, but here the musician sits beside a companion. Teniers’s loose, seemingly nonchalant style fits well with this humble but animated subject matter.

Circle Dance

David Teniers the Younger

1635/68

Accession Number

80244

Medium

Etching in black on cream laid paper

Dimensions

10.4 × 13.3 cm (4 1/8 × 5 1/4 in.)

Classification

etching

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

The Wallace L. DeWolf and Joseph Brooks Fair Collections