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To Each His Own Pastime, "Elck Sijn Tijt-Verdrijff"

ca. 1632 (?)
Not on view
Van de Venne excelled in many genres, but he is perhaps best remembered for his depictions of proverbs. In this interior scene, an elegant couple, attired in costly finery and waited upon by two servants, is engaged in a game of shuttlecock, which is normally played outdoors. The skeletal figure of Death emerges from behind the curtain, cautioning the observer that it is only a matter of time before these frivolous pleasures-also symbolized by the empty glass, the playing cards strewn about the floor, and the lute on the table-come to an abrupt end.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: To Each His Own Pastime, "Elck Sijn Tijt-Verdrijff"
  • Artist: Adriaen van de Venne (Dutch, Delft 1589–1662 The Hague)
  • Date: ca. 1632 (?)
  • Medium: Red chalk; verso: the design partially traced in red-brown chalk and wash
  • Dimensions: sheet: 13 7/8 x 17 11/16 in. (35.2 x 44.9 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, David T. Schiff Gift, 1994
  • Object Number: 1994.52
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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Abdijplein of Middelburg, Adriaen van de Venne Dutch, Pen and brown ink, gray wash
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Tafereel van de Belacchende Werelt
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1635
Dune Landscape with Oak Tree, Jacob van Ruisdael Dutch, Black chalk, brush and gray wash, and gouache; framing lines in pen and brown ink
Dune Landscape with Oak Tree
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1650–55
Cottage among Trees, Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) Dutch, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, on paper washed with brown
Cottage among Trees
Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)
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Reading the News at the Weavers' Cottage
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