This painting is not a portrait of an identifiable sitter, but rather a character study of a man Sweerts recruited as a professional model. Clutching a tankard and glass, with a pipe and loose tobacco before him, the man embodies the pleasures of the senses. At the same time, his thoughtful and individual expression makes him transcend any mere type or moralizing lesson.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Open Access
As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.
API
Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.
Credit Line:Gift of Herman and Lila Shickman, 2001
Object Number:2001.613
?Curt Benedict, Villa de Sachs, Paris, later Zürich (sold to Meissner); [Kurt Meissner, Zürich, in 1961; ?sold to Oppenheim]; ?Hans Oppenheim; ?[Edward Speelman, London]; ?Colonel Hudson, Pershore, Worcestershire, England; Herman and Lila Shickman, New York (1971–2001)
Amsterdam. Rijksmuseum. "The Curious World of Michael Sweerts (1618–1664)," March 9–May 20, 2002, no. XXVI.
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. "Michael Sweerts (1618–1664)," June 15–August 25, 2002, no. XXVI.
Hartford, Conn. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. "Michael Sweerts (1618–1664)," September 19–December 1, 2002, no. XXVI.
Malcolm R. Waddingham. "Notes on a Caravaggesque Theme." Arte antica e moderna no. 13/16 (1961), p. 317, pl. 142b, as in the Meissner gallery in Zürich; states that it was possibly conceived during Sweerts's stay in Amsterdam, about 1658–61.
Rolf Kultzen. "Michael Sweerts als Bildnismaler." Wiener Jahrbuch für Kunstgeschichte 40 (1987), pp. 216–17, fig. 15, as in a private collection, stating that in 1972 it was with Shickman in New York, from the collection of Colonel Hudson, Pershore.
Rolf Kultzen. Michael Sweerts, Brussels 1618–Goa 1664. Ed. Diane L. Webb. Doornspijk, The Netherlands, 1996, pp. 53, 112, no. 79, pl. 79 and colorpl. XXI, dates it about 1660.
Walter Liedtke in "Recent Acquisitions, A Selection: 2001–2002." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 60 (Fall 2002), p. 22, ill. (color), dates it about 1655–60, when Sweerts was working in Brussels.
Eric M. Zafran inMichael Sweerts (1618–1664). Ed. Duncan Bull. Exh. cat., Rijksmuseum. Amsterdam, 2002, p. 61, states that Shickman acquired the work in 1971 from Bruno Meissner.
Peter C. Sutton. Michael Sweerts (1618–1664). Ed. Duncan Bull. Exh. cat., Rijksmuseum. Amsterdam, 2002, pp. 152–53, no. XXVI, ill. (color), as with Kurt Meissner in Zürich, about 1960, and owned by Colonel Hudson before it was acquired by Shickman.
Thomas Döring. "Ausstellungen." Kunstchronik 57 (May 2004), p. 237.
Walter Liedtke. "Toward a New Edition of Flemish Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art." Munuscula Amicorum: Contributions on Rubens and His Colleagues in Honour of Hans Vlieghe. Ed. Katlijne van der Stighelen. Vol. 2, Turnhout, Belgium, 2006, p. 673, fig. 8.
Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, Antwerp 1593–1678 Antwerp)
1616
Resources for Research
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.