Roman Tinker, ca. 1656

About the Work

From 1642 to 1647 Jan Baptist Weenix lived in Rome, where he worked for Pope Innocent X. Yet even after his return to Holland, he did not have to rely on the market – thanks to a number of wealthy patrons – and was free to develop unusual compositions such as this lone figure of a tinker. Barefoot and dressed in tattered clothing, the young man sits on a stone, beside him a copper pot, gleaming in the sunlight, and his hammer and bellows. The figure stands out against the grey wall in the midst of a southern ambiance created by the light and the ruined viaduct.