Dutch school of the XVIII century

Dutch school of the seventeenth century. Old attribution to CORNELIS BEGA (Haarlem, Netherlands, ca. 1631/1632-1664).
"Tavern Scene."
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 66 x 82 cm.

This work is part of the genre of tavern painting, created in early Baroque Flanders by the masters Adriaen Brouwer (1605 - 1638) and David Teniers (1610 - 1690), which soon came to Holland. As its name suggests, these are scenes set in taverns, called costumbrista works for showing the common customs of the common people of the time, with a variety of styles important, but always maintaining both the theme and a clear preference for an earthy palette. Influenced by the two masters mentioned above, the painter who makes this type of work, usually works an interior space with a very refined chromatic range, based on earthy and ochre tones, typical of the naturalism of the first baroque. In terms of style, these painters would normally be close to Teniers (more detailed works; precise, loose but short brushstrokes, defining the shapes and qualities of figures and objects, without downplaying the importance of drawing), or Brower (more caricatured style, and brushstrokes and shapes different from those of Teniers).
A painter, draughtsman and engraver from Haarlem, Cornelis Bega was a disciple of Adriaen van Ostade. He worked in Germany and Switzerland until he settled permanently in Haarlem. In September 1654 he entered the guild of St. Luke in Haarlem. As a pupil of Adriaen van Ostade he was a painter of genre scenes in small format, mainly tavern interiors and humble peasant dwellings in everyday situations.