«Peasants Smoking in an Inn» — David Teniers the Younger. Price: $34,500.
In the 17th century, tobacco was a novelty in Europe, imported from the Americas and East Indies. Initially seen as medicinal—especially for “damp regions” like Antwerp—it gradually became recreational. Teniers captures this shift: the young man in front leans back, dazed by smoke, while another packs his pipe, smirking—a moment of rustic humor and social observation.
Teniers was remarkably prolific, creating around 2,000 works, mostly small Flemish genre scenes. His talent earned acclaim among Antwerp dealers and, by 1647, appointment as court painter and curator for Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of the Habsburg Netherlands—an exceptional honor for a genre artist.
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4September 4, 2026 14K 1
