Fine Art

The Old Drinker — History & Facts

This old man holding a beer tankard looks out at us somewhat drowsily. The tally of the drinks he has consumed is chalked up on the slate behind him. The beer barrel at the left bears the mark of Het Rode Hert (The Red Hart), an Amsterdam brewery on the Prinsengracht.

Metsu was living next door to it around 1650.

More Artworks by Gabriël Metsu

A young man in black attire writes a letter at a table draped with a red carpet, illuminated by natural light from an open window.

Man Writing a Letter

Gabriël Metsu

Woman Eating, oil on panel by Gabriël Metsu, showing a woman sharing a meal with a cat.

Woman Eating, Known as ‘The Cat’s Breakfast’

Gabriël Metsu

Woman contemplating a bird presented by a hunter, oil on canvas by Gabriël Metsu

The Hunter’s Present

Gabriël Metsu

Old Woman Meditating, oil on panel by Gabriël Metsu, features an elderly woman with a book.

Old Woman Meditating

Gabriël Metsu

Oil painting by Gabriël Metsu showing a mother comforting her sick child

The Sick Child

Gabriël Metsu

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More Genre Scene Art

A group of Haarlem officers in colorful sashes gathers around a banquet table set with glassware, plates, and a large pie, with a patterned banner behind them.

Banquet of the Officers of the St George Civic Guard

Frans Hals

A man in a feathered hat smiles and raises a glass while holding a woman on his lap, both dressed in elaborate 17th-century clothing with a table of objects nearby.

Rembrandt and Saskia in the Scene of the Prodigal Son

Rembrandt van Rijn

A lively outdoor scene shows couples dancing and groups seated at tables under trees, with figures in flowing dresses and straw hats.

Bal du moulin de la Galette

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

A dancer in a vivid green dress stands with hands on hips facing forward, surrounded by figures in brown, black, and pink clothing with a balcony and loosely sketched background.

Quadrille at the Moulin Rouge

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

A Burial at Ornans

A Burial at Ornans

Gustave Courbet

Two Tahitian women sit against a yellow and blue background; one wears a pale green wrap and red skirt, the other a pink dress with white trim and necklace.

When Will You Marry?

Paul Gauguin

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