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After Adriaen van Ostade, 'A Cobbler', about 1680 - about 1720

About the work

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 repairs a shoe in the window of his workshop while his customer sits smoking on a stool outside.

All is neat and ordered: a broom stands ready to sweep up waste clippings and a small pot will take the ash from the pipe. There is a water pump on the right, but more significantly a vine – perhaps symbolic of virtue – flourishes on the wall next to it. Meanwhile the cobbler’s faithful dog sleeps peacefully on its red blanket.

This picture was once thought to be by Adriaen van Ostade, a prolific painter and etcher of peasant scenes. It is now considered to be a copy after an etching by him.

Key facts

Full title
A Cobbler
Artist
After Adriaen van Ostade
Artist dates
1610 - 1685
Date made
about 1680 - about 1720
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
22.6 × 18.2 cm
Acquisition credit
Salting Bequest, 1910
Inventory number
NG2541
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection
Previous owners

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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