A man seated at a table writes a letter in Man Writing a Letter, painted by Gabriël Metsu around 1665 in oil on panel. The work belongs to the mature period of Metsu’s career, when he was active in Amsterdam and known for his refined genre scenes. This painting is held in the National Gallery of Ireland. The composition centers on a young man in black attire with white cuffs and collar, seated at a table draped with a richly patterned red carpet.

He writes with a quill beside an open window, which casts natural light across the scene and highlights the textures of the table covering, the man’s garments, and the objects on the windowsill. A framed landscape painting hangs on the wall behind him, and a globe is partially visible through the window, suggesting themes of learning and worldly engagement. Metsu’s careful rendering of fabrics, glass, and metal, as well as his use of light, are characteristic of Dutch genre painting of the period. Man Writing a Letter was acquired by the National Gallery of Ireland, where it remains today.

The painting is often discussed alongside its presumed pendant, Woman Reading a Letter, also by Metsu, which is held in the same collection. These works have been exhibited together and are recognized as significant examples of Dutch Golden Age genre painting, illustrating themes of communication and domestic life.