painting (oil): ["Interior of a Tavern with Smokers"]

In an ill-lit tavern a group of peasants are smoking and drinking. Seated at a table in the foreground a man holding a pipe and with his ruff untied takes the hand of a serving woman who stands behind him with a glass in her hand. Two other men at the table seem to be regarding this exchange with some amusement. One of them smokes a long pipe and catches the eye of the spectator with a conspiratorial look. At the feet of the man with the untied ruff is a lidded tankard and to the right a cooking pot with a plate, spoon and cloth on top of it. This is presumably the source of the food on the table in the centre. The man who takes the woman's hand may be thanking her for the meal, or could be propositioning her. Three other peasants are smoking and drinking in the background gloom to the left. To the right, a man can be seen stooping on his way out through the doorway of the tavern. Virag 09/12/2004, Between 1984 and 1985, a research assistant, Dr. Brendan Cassidy, was employed by Nottingham Castle Museum to research and write a catalogue of the foreign oil paintings in their collection. The catalogue never materialised, but drafts and notes relating to Cassidy's research can be found in the Artist Files and in the Archive at the museum. All references to Cassidy relate to these documents. The composition of the Nottingham picture is comparable to other works attributed to Heemskerck, some of which are signed ("H K"); common elements include the blurred brushwork that is characteristic to this artist and compositional motifs such as the man with the untied ruff. On the reverse: 1. Remains of a seal - indecipherable. 2. In white chalk: "62" 3. NCM accession number 4. Modern white label in blue biro: "52" A label from the reverse of the panel was found in the Artist File. The same label was also found on the reverse of one other painting in the Nottingham collection (NCM 1904-109) which was bequested by Richard Godson Millns. The label has an ornate dark blue border and ornate lilac script: "H. [I?] Rutley 20 Circus Road Regent's Park NW" Apart from narrow strips of overpainting along the right-hand edge and the top left-hand corner, the panel is in very good condition. Virag 09/12/2004, Collection of Richard Godson Millns.