David Teniers known as 'the Younger' he is one of the most important Flemish painters of the 17th century. He was born in Antwerp in 1610 and died in Brussels in 1690.
He began his training in his father's workshop, also a painter, demonstrating a certain artistic talent at an early age. Despite producing works that deal with different themes, he is remembered above all for his numerous genre scenes.
Genre painting has always been considered a minor genre compared to history and sacred painting. The scenes of daily life are, however, a very precious historical document which allows us to understand people's habits in a specific historical period.
Among the genre scenes most often represented by the artist are those inside taverns, a meeting and leisure place for the mercantile bourgeoisie. It is precisely the bourgeoisie that requests this type of painting, often characterized by the small size of the paintings.
They are images that tell the story of the daily life of the taverns in its most genuine aspect.
These tavern paintings also show us the typical environment of 17th century taverns, helping us to imagine the evolution that led these places to modernity. The most obvious common trait that we can highlight is that always, since ancient times, the tavern is a meeting place where sharing is the most important element.
Even in terms of furnishings, today's taverns often nod to their ancestors. Just think of how often the wooden elements (the 'warm' material par excellence) that characterize the taverns painted by Teniers are taken up in modern taverns, reworked from a design perspective.
It is also clear from Teniers' works that wine was the true protagonist of the tavern, while the cuisine had a marginal role. The current taverns instead combine the wine list with a very elaborate gastronomic proposal although always linked to the traditions of the place. In the menu of our tavern, for example, include some of the historical dishes of traditional Roman cuisine: tonnarelli cheese and pepper, rigatoni alla gricia, carbonara and amatriciana, Roman tripe and stewed cod, just to name a few examples.
But the main difference that catches the eye from the first glance is in the cleanliness of the premises: contemporary taverns follow - fortunately - hygiene and health standards that are incomparably more effective than those of four centuries ago.
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