Jan Steen Sends his Son to the Streets to Exchange Paintings for Beer and Wine 1828

Ignatius Josephus Van Regemorter painted this oil on panel depicting a scene of Jan Steen sending his son to exchange paintings for beer and wine. The painting is now held in the Rijksmuseum. Van Regemorter created this piece in Belgium in the early 19th century, a period when Dutch Golden Age painting was held in very high regard. Van Regemorter seems to be commenting on this enthusiasm, particularly as it was commercialized by institutions such as museums and the art market. The image itself mimics the compositions and subject matter of 17th-century genre painting, but its narrative touches on an emerging art world where art can be exchanged for goods. Was Van Regemorter critiquing the commercialization of art? What did it mean to emulate earlier paintings in this new environment? To fully understand this artwork, research into the art market of the 19th century and the reception of Dutch Golden Age painting would be invaluable. The history of taste is a social history.