Adriaen van Ostade
Dutch, 1610­1684
Merrymakers in an Inn
1674
Oil on panel
46.7 x 41 cm
George B. and Mary R. Harris Fund, 1894.1028

This painting shows Dutch peasants partying at a country inn. Group scenes like this were a favorite subject of seventeenth-century Dutch artists. 

People of all ages are gathered around an elderly couple who are dancing in the middle of the room. But the artist has included many wonderful details of other activities, as well. A little girl plays with her doll, while a boy dances with a dog. Where is the fiddle player standing? Most men have on dark caps, but who is hatless, and where is the red cap?