Haarlem school Genre painting 17th century

This fine 17th-century oil on panel depicts a boy wearing a dark cap and holding a rustic pottery mug. The jovial expression, half-length format, and the painted oval background firmly place the painting within the Haarlem genre tradition of Jan Miense Molenaer and his circle.
Condition

On the reverse, an early 20th-century restoration label records a repair of the hand and mug for the considerable sum of 125 guilders a remarkable amount at that time, underlining the esteem in which the work was held.

Restorations and retouchings visible under close inspection.

Provenance
Private collection, The Netherlands.

Dimensions
Panel: 27 × 24 cm
With frame: 36 × 33 cm


Paintings of laughing drinkers and musicians were highly popular in 17th-century Haarlem, embodying the humorous, lively spirit of Dutch genre painting. This painting is a fine representative of that tradition.