Processing
Oil pictography in the ‘Retouch’ category on seasoned solid wood panel. Worked with a magnifying glass. Retouched with Maimeri and Winsor & Newton colours. Solid wood panel with anti-warping crossbars (from 30x40 cm); concealed hook for wall mounting. Panel thickness 18/27 mm.
History
This painting is a refined example of a genre scene from the Dutch Golden Age. The work, currently housed in the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin, is exhibited alongside its companion piece, Woman Reading a Letter, with which it forms a diptych of great narrative and symbolic value.
The scene depicts a young man, elegantly dressed, absorbed in writing a letter. The bourgeois setting is rendered with great attention to detail and light, which helps to create an intimate and quiet atmosphere. Objects such as the pen, inkwell, and carpet help to define the social status of the protagonist and lend realism to the composition.
In addition to its descriptive realism, the work offers a symbolic interpretation: the theme of written correspondence is frequently associated with love and fidelity in 17th-century Dutch painting. In dialogue with its female counterpart, the painting thus takes on the value of a discreet allegory of sentimental communication, expressed with grace and restraint.
Gabriel Metsu, Man Writing a Letter (RETOUCH)