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Adriaen van Ostade, 'An Alchemist', 1661

About the work

A man stoops over a fireplace, using bellows to stoke the fire that heats the contents of a pot standing in the flames. He is an alchemist in the process of trying to turn base metals into silver or gold. His shabby and chaotic surroundings suggest that he is so obsessed with his work that he has neglected his other responsibilities, as well as squandering his possessions away. The loose, sketchy brushstrokes the artist has used to depict some of the items strewn on the floor, such as the dirty rags and straw, emphasise the disorder of the room.

The man’s family appear in the shadowy background: two young children entertain themselves while their mother wipes the bottom of the baby on her knee. The alchemist pays them no attention as he hunches over the fire, his eyes fixed on the task in front of him.

Key facts

Full title
An Alchemist
Artist
Adriaen van Ostade
Artist dates
1610 - 1685
Date made
1661
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
34 × 45.2 cm
Inscription summary
Signed; Dated and inscribed
Acquisition credit
Bought, 1871
Inventory number
NG846
Location
Room 23
Collection
Main Collection
Previous owners
Frame
20th-century Replica Frame

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.

More works by Adriaen van Ostade

A Peasant courting an Elderly Woman
A Peasant courting an Elderly Woman
Adriaen van Ostade
In this tender little scene, Adriaen van Ostade shows an elderly peasant with his hand on that of a woman about his age. He leans towards her, his other hand holding a tall, full beer glass – perhaps denoting his desire for her. Her hand is on a long unbroken clay pipe – in Dutch art of the time...
Not on display
A Peasant holding a Jug and a Pipe
A Peasant holding a Jug and a Pipe
Adriaen van Ostade
In this exuberant painting of a peasant, Adriaen van Ostade shows his ability to portray the human condition. We sense the giddiness of the drunken peasant as he sweeps backwards, jug open to drink straight from its neck. His mouth is gaping and his eyes are watery and unfocused, but he’s happy.V...
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The Interior of an Inn
The Interior of an Inn
Adriaen van Ostade
Adriaen van Ostade specialised in painting dimly lit rooms, often belonging to an inn, peopled by ‘low-life’ characters, their features and poses grotesquely caricatured. In some, battered furniture and broken crockery suggest the bar-room brawls that van Ostade also sometimes portrayed.The room...
Room 23
A Cobbler
A Cobbler
After Adriaen van Ostade
Scenes of the everyday life of peasants and tradesmen were popular among art buyers in seventeenth-century Holland. Often they were humorous, perhaps even mocking, in tone. This tiny picture, little bigger than a piece of A5 paper, is more sentimental, emphasising the cobbler’s diligence. He repa...
Not on display