The old hostess.

The mother of Dutch 'Golden Age' painter and etcher Cornelis Pietersz. Bega (Begijn) (1631/2-64) inherited half the estate of her renowned Mannerist artist father Cornelis van Haarlem. Bega's father, Pieter Jansz. Begijn, was a goldsmith and silversmith: such was Bega's prosperous, artistic Haarlem family. He studied with the top genre painter Adriaen van Ostade, well represented in his prints at Te Papa. Bega's early works recall his teacher's dark, freely executed, many-figured subjects, though he often showed more psychological insight. From 1653 to 1654 he visited Germany, Switzerland and France, then returned to Haarlem to join the Guild of Saint Luke. His life was cut short, probably by the plague epidemic, ten years later. 

Bega's principal subjects were taverns, domestic interiors and villages, with characters ranging from nursing mothers and prostitutes to gamblers and alchemists. Between about 1660 and 1664, his genre scenes became more colourful, less populated, more emotionally expressive, and more focused on the fine details of object textures. Among those influenced by Bega was Jan Steen. Later European artists imitated Bega's style and borrowed characters from his dramas. Bega also drew, etched, and made counterproofs in a variety of materials. Though sadly short-lived, Bega became well known in his lifetime for his Dutch peasant genre themes, use of tenebrism (dramatic light and shade) and experimental methods of printmaking.

The figures in this scene are characteristic of Bega’s portrayals of Dutch tavern life in the mid to late 17th century: a nondescript, austere and after-dark setting, with three foreground, ageing male drinkers, clearly in their cups, who are joined by the careworn old hostess of the title. She holds a mug which she is presumably about to refill. The foreground drinker appears to be sprawling, no doubt assisted by his alcoholic intake. The print is often paired with Bega's A man caressing the young hostess or The young hostess, neither of which are in Te Papa's collection.

A study for this etching, a chalk drawing, is in the collection of the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide. The print itself is relatively rare, and this impression is from the third of four states.

See:

The J. Paul Getty Museum, 'Cornelis Bega', http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/artists/294/cornelis-bega-dutch-16311632-1664/

Dr Mark Stocker   Curator, Historical International Art  Septmeber 2018