The Old Drinker

An old man peers out drowsily at the viewer while raising a foaming beer tankard, the tally of his drinks scratched crudely on the wall behind him. The picture shows the easy, comic side of Gabriël Metsu, who also excelled at refined scenes of the Amsterdam wealthy; here he turns to the low life of the tavern with a tolerant, affectionate eye. Painted in the early 1660s, this small panel displays the fluent handling and quiet storytelling that made Metsu one of the most admired genre painters of his day.