A Painter at Work in his Studio

1663–77

Not on view

This large drawing by Wijck is a variant of two works by his probable teacher, Adriaen van Ostade: a 1663 painting in Berlin (Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister) and a slightly later print (see 17.50.15-349), both of which show a painter working at an easel within a very similar studio space. Various motifs—the paned windows, the spiral staircase, the sheep’s skull and lute hanging on the walls, and the open trunk and basket on the floor—are found in one or both of these works. Wijck’s drawing, like Ostade’s painting (less so the print), presents the studio as a humble interior in a state of disorder—interpreted as the material consequences of the profession, to which the painter himself is oblivious.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: A Painter at Work in his Studio
Artist: Thomas Wijck (Dutch, Beverwijck, near Haarlem 1616?–1677 Haarlem)
Date: 1663–77
Medium: Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, heightened with white gouache, over black and red chalk, on blue paper; framing lines at top and bottom in pen and brown ink
Dimensions: Sheet: 15 3/4 × 19 1/2 in. (40 × 49.6 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Purchase, Daniel Ergmann Gift, 2014
Object Number: 2014.61
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Thomas Wijck

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

A Woman Spinning and a Fisherman, Thomas Wijck Dutch, Etching — A Woman Spinning and a Fisherman
Thomas Wijck
17th century

Players at Cards, Thomas Wijck Dutch, Etching; third state of four — Players at Cards
Thomas Wijck
17th century

Woman Spinning, Thomas Wijck Dutch, Etching with drypoint — Woman Spinning
Thomas Wijck
n.d.

An Oriental Merchant with Merchandise at Riverside, Thomas Wijck Dutch, Etching; third state of four — An Oriental Merchant with Merchandise at Riverside
Thomas Wijck
17th century

Man Adjusting His Footwear, at Left Three Men Playing Cards, Thomas Wijck Dutch, Etching — Man Adjusting His Footwear, at Left Three Men Playing Cards
Thomas Wijck
1630–77

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

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.