Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 8

Cornelis Bega
'The Smoker (Le Fumeur)' original etching by Cornelis-Pietersz Bega

ca. 1650

$3,040
£2,297.23
€2,652.73
CA$4,247.94
A$4,713.45
CHF 2,469.01
MX$57,799.53
NOK 31,404.90
SEK 29,644.89
DKK 19,783.10
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

'The Smoker (Le Fumeur)' is an original etching by the celebrated Dutch painter and printmaker Cornelis-Pietersz Bega. It presents a genre scene of the type Bega was best known for: Bega's principal subjects were genre representations of taverns, domestic interiors and villages. He depicted nursing mothers, prostitutes, drunks, gamblers and fools such as quack doctors and alchemists. In this case, he shows a man seated on a chair with his foot on a flat stool and holding a smoking pipe. For Bega, this representation was more of a caricature than it was an image of a specific person, and such genre scenes would have held allegorical and symbolic meaning for the seventeenth-century viewer. During the seventeenth century, the Dutch of all levels of society consumed tobacco and alcohol, and these were an important part of the Dutch economy and a major source of wealth. At the same time, however, moralists and ministers sought to curb intoxication: they openly described drinking and smoking as sinful, immoral, and a general threat to one’s reputation. This paradox is reflected in prints such as this, which inherently carry the national pride of the Dutch economy alongside a moral warning in a print that could be just as easily consumed and collected. 2.5 x 2.25 inches, print 12.38 x 10.38 inches, frame Framed to conservation standards using archival materials including 100 percent rag matting and mounting materials. Housed in a gold finish Spanish-style wood moulding. Overall good and stable condition; margins cut to plate; some wrinkling in the corners from previous mounting; housed in a new custom frame. Cornelis Bega was born into prosperous circumstances. His mother, Maria Cornelis, inherited half the estate (gold, silver, paintings, drawings and prints) and all of the red chalk drawings of her father, Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem, a renowned Mannerist artist. Bega's father was Pieter Jansz Begijn (d 1648), a gold and silversmith. Like other family members, Bega was probably Catholic. Houbraken's claim that Bega studied with Adriaen van Ostade is likely to be correct; this was probably before 24 April 1653, when Bega joined Vincent Laurentsz. van der Vinne in Frankfurt for a journey through Germany, Switzerland and France. Bega had returned to Haarlem by 1 September 1654, at which time he joined the Guild of St Luke; he was already a competent draughtsman, as indicated by his first extant dated work, Interior with a Nursing Mother (1652; Frankfurt am Main, Städel. Kstinst.), and by a remarkable double portrait (Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum) drawn by him and Leendert van der Cooghen in 1654. Bega painted, drew, etched and made counterproofs in a wide variety of materials on different types of small-scale supports. He may have been the first Dutch artist to make monotypes, but this remains controversial. Approximately 160 paintings, 80 drawings and six monotypes by Bega have been catalogued, as well as around 34 etchings. Bega's principal subjects were genre representations of taverns, domestic interiors and villages. He depicted nursing mothers, prostitutes, drunks, smokers, gamblers and fools such as quack doctors and alchemists. Less common subjects include the ridiculed or pestered woman, as in Two Figures and Mother with a Spirits Bottle (c. 1662; Gouda, Stedel, Museum Catharina Gasthuis) and The Inn (etching), as well as witty satires on traditional scenes of middle-class music-makers, such as the Music Lesson (1663; Paris, Petit Palace). Bega's early paintings, such as the Weaver's Family (c. 1652; St Petersburg, Hermitage), are freely executed, dark and coarse, recalling the many-figured peasant subjects of van Ostade. Between c. 1660 and 1664 he began to paint genre scenes with fewer figures, which are finely articulated, colourful and psychologically expressive, for example Two Men Singing (1662; Dublin, N.G.). His exquisite, late fijnschilderen ('fine painting') manner, evident in The Alchemist (1663; Malibu, Getty Museum), compares well with that of Gerrit Dou. As a draughtsman Bega is noted for his single-figure studies, executed mainly in black and white chalk on blue paper or red chalk on white paper. None of the studies, which were drawn naer het leven (from life), seem to relate to a painting or etching. Bega traded drawings or shared models with other artists of the Haarlem school, including van der Cooghen, Gerrit Berckheyde, Dirck Helmbreker and Cornelis Visscher. These artists drew chalk figure studies in a very similar style, characterised by regular and precise parallel shading and well-defined forms; their drawings, especially those of Bega and Berckheyde, have been frequently confused. Unlike the realistic figure studies, Bega's etchings depict interiors with figures or single figures in the manner of van Ostade; the compositions, often with masterful chiaroscuro effects, reflect most closely the paintings of the 1650s. Bega is likely to have remained in Haarlem, where he paid dues to the Guild in 1661. He probably died from the plague; fees for his expensive funeral at St. Bavo's were paid on 30 August 1664. Among the artists he influenced were Thomas Wijck, Jan Steen, Richard Brakenburg (1650-1702) and Cornelis Dusart. Painters such as R. Oostrzaen ( fl ?1656) and Jacob Toorenvliet (1635/6-1719) and later European artists imitated Bega's style and borrowed principal characters from his low-life dramas. Sources: Biography via the archives of AskArt Beeler, David. "Sobering Anxieties: Alcohol, Tobacco, and the Intoxicated Social Body in Dutch Painting During the True Freedom, 1650-1672." Ph.D. diss., University of South Florida, 2014.
  • Creator:
    Cornelis Bega (1631 - 1664, Dutch)
  • Creation Year:
    ca. 1650
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 12.38 in (31.45 cm)Width: 10.38 in (26.37 cm)
  • Medium:
    Paper,Etching
  • Movement & Style:
    Old Masters
  • Period:
    17th Century
  • Condition:
    Overall good and stable condition; margins cut to plate; some wrinkling in the corners from previous mounting; housed in a new custom frame.
  • Gallery Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 9759g1stDibs: LU60536876002

More From This Seller

View All
17th century etching black and white figurative character print expressive
By Jan Gillisz van Vliet
Located in Milwaukee, WI
Jan Gillisz van Vliet (1605–1668) was a Dutch Golden Age artist and student of Rembrandt. He worked with Rembrandt between 1628 and 1637, inspired by his master's work. Like Rembrandt, van Vliet made a series of beggar figures, though often with a greater degree of satire and expressiveness. For example, this image of a rat catcher...
Category

1630s Old Masters Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

17th century etching black and white figurative character print expressive

Jan Gillisz van Vliet
17th century etching black and white figurative character print expressive, 1650

$1,620
17th century etching black and white figure table tobacco pipe scene
By Cornelis Bega
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"The Pipe Smoker" is an original etching by Cornelis-Pietersz Bega. It depicts a man sitting at a table with his pipe. Publisher: Pearce #38. 3 1/2" x 3 1/4" art 13 5/8" x 11 3/4" f...
Category

Mid-17th Century Old Masters Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

17th century etching black and white figure table tobacco pipe scene

Cornelis Bega
17th century etching black and white figure table tobacco pipe scene, circa 1650

$1,700
18th century triptych etching figurative prints small black and white expressive
By Francois Vivares
Located in Milwaukee, WI
François Vivares was known to have produced several copies of images after older masters, such as, in this case, Rembrandt van Rijn. In this set, Vivares reproduces "The Quacksalver" (1635, Bartsch 129), "Beggar man and beggar woman conversing" (1630, Bartsch 164), and "Beggar Seated Warming...
Category

1760s Old Masters Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

18th century triptych etching figurative prints small black and white expressive

Francois Vivares
18th century triptych etching figurative prints small black and white expressive, ca. 1766

$2,400
17th century etching black and white indoor dramatic figures scene
By Cornelis Bega
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"The Meeting" is an original etching by Cornelis-Pietersz Bega. It depicts a confrontation between two groups of figures. Publisher: Pearce #48. 2 3/4" x 2 3/4" art 10 1/4" x 10 3/8...
Category

Mid-17th Century Old Masters Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

17th century etching black and white indoor dramatic figures scene

Cornelis Bega
17th century etching black and white indoor dramatic figures scene, circa 1650

$2,295
17th century etching black and white dramatic window figure scene
By Cornelis Bega
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Man Looking Through a Window" is an original etching by Cornelis-Pietersz Bega. It depicts a figure leaning through a window. Publisher: Pearce #37. 3 1/8" x 3" art 14 3/4" x 13 1/...
Category

Mid-17th Century Old Masters Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

17th century etching black and white dramatic window figure scene

Cornelis Bega
17th century etching black and white dramatic window figure scene, circa 1650

$2,295
17th century etching black and white figures scene
By Cornelis Bega
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"The Singer" is an original etching by Cornelis-Pietersz Bega. It depicts a performer and onlookers. Publisher: Pearce #50. 4" x 3" art 16 1/2" x 13 1/2" frame Cornelis Pietersz Be...
Category

Mid-17th Century Old Masters Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

17th century etching black and white figures scene

Cornelis Bega
17th century etching black and white figures scene, 1650

$1,755

You May Also Like

The Smoker and the Drinker
By Adriaen van Ostade
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Adriaen Van Ostade (Dutch, 1610-1685) Title: The Smoker and the Drinker Year: 1650 Medium: Etching Paper: Laid paper Image (plate mark) size...
Category

Late 17th Century Old Masters Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

The Smoker and the Drinker

Adriaen van Ostade
The Smoker and the Drinker, 1650

$1,100
Smoker Leaning on the Back of a Chair
By Adriaen van Ostade
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Adriaen Van Ostade (Dutch, 1610-1685) Title: Smoker Leaning on the Back of a Chair Year: 1672 Medium: Etching Paper: Laid paper Image size: 4.1 x 3.55 inches Signature: Si...
Category

Late 17th Century Old Masters Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Smoker Leaning on the Back of a Chair

Adriaen van Ostade
Smoker Leaning on the Back of a Chair, 1672

$750
Old Man - Original Etching on Paper by Henri Piere Jamet - 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Old Man is an original etching artwork on paper realized by Henri Piere Jamet (1858-1921). The state of preservation is very good and aged with small tearing on the margins. Sheet ...
Category

20th Century Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper, Etching

Old Man - Original Etching on Paper by Henri Piere Jamet - 19th Century

Henri Piere Jamet
Old Man - Original Etching on Paper by Henri Piere Jamet - 19th Century, 20th century

$476
The organ Grinder
By Adriaen van Ostade
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Adriaen Van Ostade (Dutch, 1610-1685) Title: The Organ Grinder Year: 1647 Medium: Etching Paper: Laid paper Image (plate mark) size: 4.35 x 3.5 i...
Category

Late 17th Century Old Masters Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

The organ Grinder

Adriaen van Ostade
The organ Grinder, 1672

$1,400
Johannes Huibert Prins (1756-1806) - 1783 Etching, The Drinker
Located in Corsham, GB
This etching depicts a seated figure in a rustic interior, with meticulous cross-hatching creating depth and texture throughout the composition. The central subject is portrayed in a...
Category

18th Century Portrait Prints

Materials

Etching

Johannes Huibert Prins (1756-1806) - 1783 Etching, The Drinker

Johannes Huibert Prins (1756-1806) - 1783 Etching, The Drinker, 1783

$363
Robert Luard Selby (1800-1880) - 19th Century Graphite Drawing, Man with Pipe
By Robert Luard Selby
Located in Corsham, GB
A finely drawn graphite study of a Dutch peasant smoking a pipe in the style of David Teniers the Younger. He sits on a small wooden stool and wears rag...
Category

19th Century Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Graphite

Robert Luard Selby (1800-1880) - 19th Century Graphite Drawing, Man with Pipe

Robert Luard Selby
Robert Luard Selby (1800-1880) - 19th Century Graphite Drawing, Man with Pipe, Unknown

$440 Sale Price
20% Off

More Ways To Browse

The Antique Inn
Antique Smoking Pipe
Antique Smoker
French Gold Stool
17th Century German Silver
17th Century German Silver
Antique Music Chair
Petit Jacob
Antique Dutch Bottles
Smokers Chair
Antique Nursing Chair
Peasant Chair
Antique Music Stool
Antique Tavern Chairs
Antique Doctors Scale
Antique Smoking Chair
Le Fumeur
Van Der Vinne
View All Popular Figurative Prints Searches