An Unequal Couple (Late 17th Century)

This painting depicts age and class inequalities in gender relations and courtship. A well-dressed older man, whose clothing identifies him as a member of the bourgeoisie or landed gentry, chats and flirts with a peasant girl in front of a farmhouse. The girl appears to reciprocate, laughing and wagging her finger. But the man’s general countenance – not to mention the way that he holds the girl’s chin – makes clear that the balance of power is on his side. The pair is observed by an old woman who peers from the farmhouse window, and by a younger woman who is tending to an infant. Their expressions suggest a mixture of surprise and disapproval. This painting’s lively narrative style and muted colors are characteristic of its maker, the Hamburg-born painter and etcher, Matthias Scheits (c. 1625/30-c.1700), who worked in the Dutch tradition, painting subjects from peasant life. Oil on oak by Matthias Scheits, late seventeenth century.

print version     return to image list

last image in previous chapter      next image

© Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz/ Hamburger Kunsthalle / Elke Walford
Original: Hamburg, Hamburger Kunsthalle