The Ludicrous Squire, 1763

About the Work

The title of the drawing is that of a popular and much-performed comedy whose main scene is here depicted. Karel, a member of the bourgeoisie and a decent young fellow, defeats the conceited and affected squire Eduard in a fencing bout and wins the heart of the beautiful Johanna, seated at the table to the far right. A work of this kind would have served as an occasion to talk about the theatre production and the play’s moral message. The parlour in the scene has a ceiling painting probably something like those by Jacob de Wit.