This engaging mid-17th-century Flemish oil on canvas depicts a cheerful young man who turns toward us with a knowing smile, his hand wrapped confidently around a stoneware beer jug. It was painted by an artist working in the circle of Flemish painter Jan Cossiers (1600-1671).
The beauty of this portrayal is its candidness, as it lacks the formality of the mainstay of 17th-century portraiture. Here, we see a bright-eyed youth, possibly a brewery assistant, cooper, or young artisan, caught within a moment of unbridled merriment as if someone has called his name, mid-conversation.
The portrait probably originates in Antwerp, one of the most diverse and vibrant ports in Northern Europe. Sailors, merchants, labourers, journeymen, rope-makers, dyers, soldiers between campaigns, and countless apprentices passed through its streets. For men of his class, community was found not in the grand houses of the Meir but in the taverns - warm, smoky, convivial refuges that served as the city’s social heart.
These taverns were alive with sound: the clack of trictrac pieces, the scratch of a cittern, the thrum of conversation woven from tall tales, triumphs, grumbles, jokes, and the everyday theatre of working lives. No wonder he’s smiling - his expression carries the warmth of someone who has settled into good company after a day’s labour.
The painting’s warm, rounded flesh tones, softly blended modelling, and deep umber ground align closely with Antwerp practice, particularly within the circle of Jan Cossiers (1600-1671). The expressive immediacy, lively but not crude, echoes the Brouwer-influenced genre tradition, while the Baroque richness of the flesh and the atmospheric lighting sit firmly within Cossiers’ broader artistic circle.
Whilst we can only imagine the specifics of this young man’s life, he brings with him something of the spirit of Antwerp itself - humble, good-humoured, and human. In this sense, it’s a reminder that the small, joyful moments of the 17th century were not so different from our own.
Held in an early 20th-century gilt frame with a gently coved profile, its soft burnishing complementing the warm tones of the painting.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 31½” x 36½” / 80cm x 93cm
Year of creation: c. 1650
Provenance: S. van der Velden, Delft / Thence by descent.
Condition: Cleaned. Canvas relined. Later stretcher. Craquelure throughout. The paint layer is stable. Frame in good condition with minor age-related wear.
Our reference: BRV2226
