Old Man Lighting a Pipe

c. 1660

Johann Carl Loth (German, 1623–1698)

This man’s suntanned skin, worn clothing, and rustic surroundings are rendered in shades of brown that mirror the contents of his pipe. The Spanish introduced tobacco into Northern Europe in the 16th century, and smoking quickly became a beloved pastime that was widely considered healthful and nourishing. By the early 17th century, single-figure images of smokers emerged as a subgenre of Dutch and Flemish painting. The theme posed an enticing challenge for artists, with its burning leaves, billowing plumes of smoke, and active facial expressions—here, the figure purses his lips and wrinkles his brow as he concentrates on lighting the pipe. German painter Johann Carl Loth blended the Northern emphasis on capturing textures with the dramatic illumination reminiscent of so-called Caravaggesque painters like Hendrick Terbrugghen.

Status: On View, Gallery 212
Department: Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist: Johann Carl Loth
Title: Old Man Lighting a Pipe
Place: Germany (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.: 1655–1665
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 95 × 85 cm (37 1/2 × 33 1/2 in.); Framed: 119.4 × 109.9 × 7 cm (47 × 43 1/4 × 2 3/4 in.)
Credit Line: Purchased with funds provided by The Old Masters Society
Reference Number: 1987.258
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/70118/manifest.json

The Art Institute of Chicago, Annual Report 1987-88 (Chicago, 1988), pp. 27-28, fig. 9.
Jonathan Bikker, “Drost’s end and Loth’s beginnings in Venice,” Burlington Magazine 144 (2002) p. 153, fig. 19.
Jonathan Bikker, Willem Drost (1633-1659). A Rembrandt Pupil in Amsterdam and Venice (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2005), 42, 45, 120-122, 185, no. 37.

Possibly Antony Hoevenaar, Amsterdam; sold 15 April, 1693, no. 6, “een Italianse Toebakdrinker, konstig van [Loth] [see Gerhard Ewald, Johann Carl Loth: 1632-1698 (Amsterdam, 1965), p. 124, no. 558].” Possibly Jan Smees, Amsterdam; sold 6 April 1729, no. 4, “een Tabaks Rooker, Kragtig en kunstig geschildert door Carlotti [see Ewald 1965, p. 124, no. 559].” Christie’s, London, 24 May 1985, no. 107 (ill.); Capitoline Fine Arts Ltd., Washington, D. C., 1985 to 1987; sold to The Art Institute, 1987.

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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.

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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.

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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.