Description of the artwork «The young man writing a letter»
Gabriel Metsu began his career as a religious painter, but eventually became one of the most accomplished genre painters. His work was very diverse, because the artist easily adopted and interpreted the themes and styles of other artists.
Young Man Writing a Letter painting and its pair
Woman Reading a Letter, are Metsu's most famous works and the best examples of the 17th century Dutch painting. In both works, we can trace the influence of
Johannes Vermeer, whose paintings the artist could have seen in the workshop of his fellow artist in Delft. Although, he could have seen them in the house of Peter van Claussen Ruyven, whose collection apparently consisted of up to two dozen paintings of Vermeer.
The scenes with the figures writing letters were very popular among the Dutch genre painters in 1650 – 1660s. The message that the young man is writing in this picture, is presumably addressed to the subject of Metsu's Woman Reading a Letter. A fashionable black suit of the young man and a Persian carpet on the table indicate his wealth, and a globe emphasizes his erudition.