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Isack van Ostade, 'A Farmyard', about 1640

About the work

Isack van Ostade shows us a farmyard with a forsaken air, tranquil and atmospheric. Under an ancient oak tree a patch of sunlight picks out a wooden pen, a shelf above it holding an earthenware pot and a sieve. Behind them, a cart wheel and a basket lie forgotten in an old shed – its withering thatch will be little help against the threatening rain cloud overhead. Only the hen and two cockerels pecking for food give any sign of life in this ramshackle place, a bunch of feathery black tail feathers standing out against the surrounding clutter.

The picture is painted in meticulous detail. Isack was the younger brother and student of Adriaen van Ostade, whose work also appears in the National Gallery’s collection. Sadly, Isack died at the age of 28, before his potential could be fulfilled.

Key facts

Full title
A Farmyard
Artist
Isack van Ostade
Artist dates
1621 - 1649
Date made
about 1640
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
40 × 41 cm
Inscription summary
Signed
Acquisition credit
Bought, 1891
Inventory number
NG1347
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection

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 Isack van Ostade

A Landscape with Peasants and a Cart
A Landscape with Peasants and a Cart
Isack van Ostade
In a mellow light, a group of peasants pause by a muddy pool in the shade of an oak tree. A woman perched high on a cart holds a basket and looks around her. Away in the distance to the right, a church spire and a windmill seem as delicate as cobwebs against the sky.Isack van Ostade paints the sc...
Not on display
A Winter Scene
A Winter Scene
Isack van Ostade
Isack van Ostade’s little village seems to be a hard place to live. Although there’s no snow, the grey clouds threaten and there is a feeling of bone-chilling cold. The old cottage on top of the bank is ramshackle and touched with frost, its roof hardly robust enough to keep out the weather. And...
Not on display
The Interior of a Barn with Two Peasants
The Interior of a Barn with Two Peasants
Isack van Ostade
Light spills in through a window high up on the towering wall of the barn. It picks out a sturdy woman with her sleeves rolled up, her arms in a tub – she’s perhaps washing clothes. Around her, discarded articles – an earthenware jar, a wicker basket, some colourful rags – are heaped up among bal...
Not on display
The Outskirts of a Village, with a Horseman
The Outskirts of a Village, with a Horseman
Isack van Ostade
Life seems to amble along in this painting: there’s time for the horseman to pause, for the man beside him to communicate with his dogs and for two people to chat. The countryside setting appears almost timeless, though Isack van Ostade has explored the effects of time. Light flickers up the wall...
Room 23
An Inn by a Frozen River
An Inn by a Frozen River
Follower of Isack van Ostade
In the Dutch Republic at this time, paintings were a means of entertainment – scenes of outdoor life were meant to hold moments of interest that had to be teased out. Although it’s not immediately evident, this picture does exactly that.The huge expanse of sky is grey; the pub roof is almost fall...
Not on display