(Utrecht 1585–1666)
A village kermesse with people eating and drinking outside and children fighting on the ground,
monogrammed and dated on the tavern shield, on the left: JCDS. 1647,
oil on panel, 75.5 x 106.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private European collection

The present painting shows a rural kermesse scene, a recurrent motif in the oeuvre of the Dutch painter Joost Cornelisz. Droochsloot. The composition gives a view of a wide road leading away from the spectators in a gentle curve. The street is lined with small houses on both sides, a church with a festive banner is visible in the background. All along the road, people animate the scene and give it a festive character. The figures depicted can be observed in various activities: eating and drinking at a table put up in front of an inn and conversing, children are fighting in the foreground.

The compositional scheme of the road meeting a low horizon under a wide sky can be found in numerous paintings by the Dutch artist. The dark house on the left side that emphasises the illusion of depth is also a recurrent feature of Droochsloot’s village scenes. Different shades of brown dominate this representation of rural life, only few accents of colour, especially in the figure’s clothing, enliven the scene. The dominating muted tones of the village contrast with the bright sky, on which clouds are softly illuminated by the sun.

Only little is known about the early life of Joost Cornelisz. Droochsloot, however, in 1616 he is reported as a member of the Utrecht Guild of St. Luke. A successful painter, he became dean of the guild in 1623 and in 1641/42. While his earlier works represent generally historical or biblical subjects, he later goes on to depict mostly genre scenes, such as the present painting, dated to 1647.