Netherlands, 17/18th Century

Netherlands, 17/18th Century, The Money Changers
The prototype of these character studies, typical of genre painting, dates back to the works of Rembrandt, later reworked by Venetian painters of the eighteenth century such as Nogari and Nazzari, while in Germany the skilled interpreter of this current was Christian Seybold. In Genre painting, the representation of characters rendered with strong expressionism and realism, sometimes caricatured, also conceals a didactic meaning, such as Vanitas and the Allegory of the Vices. In the present painting, husband and wife are portrayed while they work. Many coins are scattered on the table. Nearby are his tools for analyzing and evaluating the currencies collected. Behind the couple, on the back wall, some common and professional objects are arranged on the two shelves. Oil on canvas and wood panel, 106 x 91 cm