This painting, A Man and a Woman at Wine, was recognised as a work of exceptional quality in the 19th century and when it was shown in the National Exhibition in Leeds in 1868 it caused a stir with many dealers wanting to buy it.
A Man and a Woman at Wine
Viewers have often been puzzled by what is going on in the image. The Cheltenham Examiner wrote in 1899 that the painting depicts ‘a peasant and a serving woman ““ the woman with a jug and glass of liquor in her hands, and the man smoking apparently in playful proximity to her face, ““ its subject is hardly typical of an artist who ordinarily chose his models from the higher classes of society.’ However, if you look at his work as a whole, you can see that Metsu represents many different sections of society. His works sometimes have a symbolic meaning based on popular allegorical texts and prints.
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A Man and a Woman at Wine
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