Description
Depictions of peasant festivals, such as weddings, harvests, and village holidays became an extremely popular subject for Flemish artists during the 1600s. In his paintings of these festive occasions David Teniers the Younger (1610–1690), portrayed peasants dancing and playing music, focusing on the cheerful elements of peasant life. His images often feature close-knit family groups taking part in the celebration. Contrary to his predecessors, who often depicted broken and disorderly still life objects in their paintings, Teniers emphasized household objects in brass, ceramic, and glass in a perfect state to demonstrate the growing prosperity of the peasants.
Provenance
-1790 M. Marin; , sold, 03/22/1790, no.16; 1790-1816 M. Catelan; -1832 M. le Chevalier Erard, Paris, sold, 21 rue de Clery, Paris, 08/07 - 14/1832, no. 150, to Count Horace Francois Bastien Sebastiani; 1832- Count Horace Francois Bastien Sebastiani (1772-1851); -1851 Marchal of France, sold, rue du Fraubourg Saint Honore, 11/24 - 28/1851, no. 157, to Thomas Jefferson Bryan; 1851-1867 Thomas Jefferson Bryan, by gift to the New-York Historical Society; 1867-1971 New York Historical Society, sold, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, 12/02/1971, no. 89, to Noah L. Butkin; 1971-1977 Noah L. Butkin (Shaker Heights, Ohio), by gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1977.
Accession Number
1977.122
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
Framed: 57 x 91 x 9 cm (22 7/16 x 35 13/16 x 3 9/16 in.); Unframed: 37.7 x 71.3 cm (14 13/16 x 28 1/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Noah L. Butkin
