Skip to Content
Closed today, next open Thursday. Closed today, next open Thursday.

A Man Caressing the Young Hostess

A work made of etching in black on ivory laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of etching in black on ivory laid paper.

Date:

1660/64

Artist:

Cornelis Pietersz Bega
Dutch, 1631/32-1664

About this artwork

Cornelis Pietersz Bega’s talents were wide-ranging—from painting and drawing to etching—and genre scenes of everyday Dutch life were his principal subjects. In this etching, Bega depicted an interaction between lecherous drunkards and a young tavern hostess. On the makeshift barrel table are a bottle of alcohol and coals for the pipe. The ace of spades, one of the three playing cards scattered on the ground, symbolizes death, suggesting the work’s moralizing message.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Cornelis Pietersz. Bega

Title

A Man Caressing the Young Hostess

Place

Netherlands (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1660–1664

Medium

Etching in black on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Image: 19.8 × 16.5 cm (7 13/16 × 6 1/2 in.); Sheet, trimmed within platemark: 22.6 × 17.3 cm (8 15/16 × 6 13/16 in.)

Credit Line

John H. Wrenn Memorial Collection

Reference Number

1965.634

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/23829/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share