Oil on oak panel, The Drinker, follower of Teniers, 17th-century Flemish School

  

Charming small painting on an oak panel, 15.5 x 13 cm, signed. Mounted frame with a tongue joint, regilded. The panel is shorter than the frame opening; a tongue was used to adjust the fit, and it is visible in the photos. A highly decorative piece with pink and blue tones. The iconography is a direct tribute to the “genre scenes” or “tavern scenes” popularized in the 17th century by masters of Flemish and Dutch painting.

The red cap, the drinker’s pose, and the stoneware jug or blown-glass demijohn strongly recall the world of major artists such as David Teniers the Younger. The signature could be that of Hendrik Martenszoon Sorgh, a 17th-century Dutch painter. Born in Rotterdam in 1611 and died in 1670, he studied under David Teniers and Willem Buitenwech (last photo with his signature). His main works are described as genre scenes (“genrestukjes”), characterized by precise technique, harmonious coloring, and fine finishing.