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Merrymakers in an Inn
(Baroque Europe )
This party of fashionably dressed young people is interrupted by intruders with masks and a lighted torch suggesting that these revels take place during Carnival. Well-bred young ladies did not join parties in public inns; these smiling women are prostitutes.
Women forced by poverty into prostitution had to rent such garments, as they themselves were rented. The lap dog gnawing a bone adds a crude, realistic and amusing counterpoint to the apparent elegance of the scene.
In his own time the artist was known especially for small cabinet paintings of scenes of merriment. The style of execution seen here is somewhat less painterly than one might expect and it is possible that it is a product of his workshop.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1994 | Artful Dining: The Exhibition. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1980 | Salute to Belgium. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 4/14/1976 | Examination | examined for catalogue |
Geographies
Belgium, Antwerp (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 17 13/16 x W: 26 7/16 in. (45.2 x 67.2 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters with the Massarenti Collection, 1902
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.1741