The Brothel - Adriaen van Stalbemt

Oil on copper
With makers mark on the back

Paintings like this often provide a glimpse into the moral and social complexities of the time, where boundaries between vice, pleasure and everyday life were sometimes blurred. In this painting we can see how a woman leads a man into a room, where a lady is partially clothed and laying on a bed. Her clothes are thrown onto the table next to her, along with her jewelry.
Adriaen van Stalbemt was a Flemish painter, whose art was multifaceted, encompassing various subjects, including landscapes, still lifes and genre scenes. He was open to the influence of very diverse painters, such as Jan Brueghel I, Gilis van Coninxloo II, Adam Elsheimer and Hendrick van Balen. He was an excellent landscape painter, but also a good figure painter, known for his harmonious compositions filled with subtle details.