Man en vrouw in gesprek voor een herberg 1620 - 1685

Adriaen van Ostade sketched this ink drawing of a man and woman conversing outside a tavern. Notice how the man holds a pipe, a symbol laden with meaning. Throughout the ages, the pipe appears in various guises, from the peace pipes of indigenous cultures to the contemplative smoking of philosophers. Here, in 17th-century Netherlands, it embodies both leisure and social interaction. Consider its visual echo in other art forms, like Magritte’s painting "The Treachery of Images" which depicts a pipe with the words "Ceci n'est pas une pipe." Is it a pipe or just an image? The act of smoking perhaps taps into a primal desire, a controlled indulgence that transcends time. This drawing, with its seemingly simple scene, engages our collective memory, reminding us of shared human experiences across centuries, each symbol evolving through time.