A Flemish Entertainment. From the Original Picture, Painted by Van Harp, In the Collection of the Right Honourable the Earl of Bute

Book Description

London: John Boydell, 1 December 1764. Copper engraving, coloured by hand, by William Walker, from Richard Earlom's design after van Herp. 19 1/4 x 25 1/4 inches. A very fine genre picture, expertly interpreted by Earlom and Walker. The artist of the original work is probably Willem van Herp (not Harp as in the title): the most likely candidate from amongst a prolific family of 16th-century Flemish painters. A riotous scene, full of movement, set in an anteroom in a Flemish tavern. In the foreground a cat and dog pause momentarily during their ongoing battle. Guests are seated around a table set with bread and ham. A small boy reaches for the ham. The men, all somewhat the worse for drink, sit or stand around. One man relieves himself in the background, whilst two of his companions try and sweet-talk two of the serving maids, both of whom resist, one tries to keep her paramour at arms length whilst still maintaining her grip on a dish of fresh radishes, but a third seated figure reaches up and pulls her towards him by her apron.

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