Wandering Musician 1648

Adriaen van Ostade created this small oil on panel painting, Wandering Musician, during the Dutch Golden Age, a period marked by immense economic prosperity. Yet Ostade often chose to depict the lives of peasants rather than the wealthy merchant class. Here we see a musician and child, perhaps a son or apprentice, playing a jaunty tune. Ostade’s painting provides us with insight into the social dynamics of the time. The role of music and performance was tied to itinerant lifestyles which were often associated with the lower classes. We might consider how class status affected family life and the passing on of skills through apprenticeship. While it is easy to see romanticism in Ostade’s portrayal, we should remember the realities of poverty and labor which existed at the time. What does it mean to find joy and beauty amidst hardship? The painting allows us to reflect on how different social classes experience life and how these experiences might differ from our own.