Pieter Quast, 'A Man and a Woman in a Stableyard', probably 1630s
About the work
Overview
An officer stands in a stable yard resting his foot on top of a turned over washtub, while a peasant kneels to adjust his spur. This task was normally part of a page’s duties, as seen in guardroom scenes of the time, but in several of Pieter Quast’s paintings officers humiliate peasants by forcing them to handle their spurs.
Here, the officer’s female companion further degrades the peasant by pushing his head down. Another figure in the left background is tending to the officer’s horse; these peasants might also have been forced to accommodate the officer, a common practice during the time. Typical for Quast, the tone of the painting is rather theatrical and satirical, ridiculing the officer’s pretentiousness.
This painting came from the private collection of Charles Lock Eastlake, first Director of the National Gallery.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- A Man and a Woman in a Stableyard
- Artist
- Pieter Quast
- Artist dates
- 1605/6 - 1647
- Date made
- probably 1630s
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 45.4 × 57.5 cm
- Inscription summary
- Signed
- Acquisition credit
- Bequeathed by Mrs Charles Locke Eastlake, 1911
- Inventory number
- NG2856
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Neil MacLaren, revised and expanded by Christopher Brown, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School: 1600–1900’, London 1991; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1960Maclaren, Neil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 2 vols, London 1960
-
1991Maclaren, Neil, revised by Christopher Brown, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 1600-1900, 2nd edn (revised and expanded), 2 vols, London 1991
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
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