CRAESBEECK, Josse van
(b. ca. 1605, Neerlinter, d. ca. 1661, Bruxelles)

Company of Peasants in a Tavern

1650s
Oil on panel
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Van Craesbeeck's work of the 1650s does not differ substantially from that of the previous decade, except that his colouring gained a still greater brightness. He assembles the characters who - often in large numbers - populate his paintings, harmoniously and in tight, coherent groups. The Company of Peasants in a Tavern is a good example of this.