PMA Philadelphia - 1629 c - Judith LEYSTER - The last drop
Judith Leyster was a famous artist during the seventeenth century; however, her reputation was forgotten soon after her death. There were no mentions of her name to be found in sales records and no prints made of her artwork. However, early in her career, she was recognized as the very first woman artist in the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke. It was not until 1893 that Judith Leyster was rediscovered and was given recognition as a woman painter of the Dutch Golden Age
Judith Leyster's The Last Drop was in the collection of Sir George Donaldson in London around 1903. The canvas was then sold to the collection of Hoogendijk on April 28 or 29, 1908. Now, the painting is part of the John G. Johnson Collection in the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia.
In reference to the skeleton and the party scene in The Last Drop, one underlying meaning for this art piece focuses on the loss of self-respect and dissipated state of drunkenness. Both men appear to be unconcerned about the actions they are committing as the skeleton is in their presence. The skeleton's facial expression and stance show that it is enjoying itself just as much as the drunken men. Skeletons were familiar figures in seventeenth-century art, representing the unavoidable nature of death. The figures of the two men appear to be similar to the figures in the scene of the Merry Trio, also painted by Judith Leyster in 1629. The Merry Trio and The Last Drop accompany each other representing night and day. Merry Trio illustrates the first stage of drinking, typically in the evening as the sun is setting. The Last Drop is the later stage of the party after drinking has continued; it is now dark and then men are blinded by the effects of drink. The night scene is represented by the use of the candle between the men and the skeleton. At this point in the night, both men are very drunk and unaware of the skeleton among them.
PMA Philadelphia - 1629 c - Judith LEYSTER - The last drop
Judith Leyster was a famous artist during the seventeenth century; however, her reputation was forgotten soon after her death. There were no mentions of her name to be found in sales records and no prints made of her artwork. However, early in her career, she was recognized as the very first woman artist in the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke. It was not until 1893 that Judith Leyster was rediscovered and was given recognition as a woman painter of the Dutch Golden Age
Judith Leyster's The Last Drop was in the collection of Sir George Donaldson in London around 1903. The canvas was then sold to the collection of Hoogendijk on April 28 or 29, 1908. Now, the painting is part of the John G. Johnson Collection in the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia.
In reference to the skeleton and the party scene in The Last Drop, one underlying meaning for this art piece focuses on the loss of self-respect and dissipated state of drunkenness. Both men appear to be unconcerned about the actions they are committing as the skeleton is in their presence. The skeleton's facial expression and stance show that it is enjoying itself just as much as the drunken men. Skeletons were familiar figures in seventeenth-century art, representing the unavoidable nature of death. The figures of the two men appear to be similar to the figures in the scene of the Merry Trio, also painted by Judith Leyster in 1629. The Merry Trio and The Last Drop accompany each other representing night and day. Merry Trio illustrates the first stage of drinking, typically in the evening as the sun is setting. The Last Drop is the later stage of the party after drinking has continued; it is now dark and then men are blinded by the effects of drink. The night scene is represented by the use of the candle between the men and the skeleton. At this point in the night, both men are very drunk and unaware of the skeleton among them.