Lot 14 Dα

Esaias van de Velde was one of the most innovative artists of the Dutch Golden Age. He set the stage for important developments in the field of genre painting, such as the introduction of the so-called vrolijke gezelschap, for which he was of decisive importance alongside Willem Buytewech. The first of these Merry Company pictures were painted in Haarlem in around 1615. They depicted figures in contemporary dress enjoying themselves with food and drink, music and dance, or playing cards.
This panel in miniature format shows a Merry Company scene on a terrace in a park landscape and thus belongs to the special genre of the buitenpartij, i.e. an outdoor party. It depicts six people gathered around a richly laden table: The lady sitting at the front is enduring the clumsy approaches of a man, while she herself appears to be looking at the lute player standing at the opposite end of the table. Between them, two other persons are sitting at the long side of the table, attended by a young servant.