David Teniers the Younger

With Leonard Koetser, London, from whom acquired by the father of the present owners.

The support consists of a single oak panel, un cradled, bevelled on all four edges and stable though with a slight convex vertical bow. There is a line of tenting at the extreme upper margin and a few other minor such instances. There a re few minor retouchings thorughout the background but in general the painting is in a beautiful state of preservation with the original glazes largely intact. Sold in a gilt frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This highly characteristic and well preserved picture by Teniers, probably painted in the 1650s or 1660s, depicts one of the central themes of his genre pictures, the smoker. Introduced by Adriaen Brouwer, the subject of the smoker allowed artists the opportunity to explore fresh permutations of facial expressions in their art. In this picture Teniers takes obvious delight in doing this, using an overlapping perspectival system to guide us through the process, from inhalation, as exemplified by the foreground figure, through to exhalation before finally culminating in the figure in the background restocking his pipe to begin the process again.

Although predominantly comedic in tone, favouring grotesque characterisations as a means of conveying a sense of ribald comedy, Teniers has included a moralising subtext here not commonly found in his mature work. The owl, visible perching on the fence on the left, has long standing associations with wisdom as an attribute of Minerva, and its juxtaposition with the folly of the men serves to highlight the disjuncture between vice and virtue. The symbolism is further elucidated by the poster of the owl tacked to the wall on the right, which includes a pair of spectacles representative of foresight and vigilance. A painting featuring the same configuration of men, and of similar dimensions, was sold in these Rooms, 20 December 1978, lot 56.

We are grateful to Frau Margret Klinge for endorsing this attribution on the basis of digital photographs.