A Cobbler
- Artist: Adriaen van Ostade
- Date: about 1680 - about 1720
- Medium: oil on wood
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
"A Cobbler, painted in the Netherlands around 1680-1720. This tiny picture, little bigger than a piece of A5 paper, is a beautiful example of a peasant scene from that time period. Notice how the cobbler's diligence is emphasised - he repairs a shoe in the window of his workshop while his customer sits smoking on a stool outside.
All is neat and ordered: a broom stands ready to sweep up waste clippings and a small pot will take the ash from the pipe. There's even a water pump on the right, and a vine, perhaps symbolic of virtue, flourishes on the wall next to it. Meanwhile, the cobbler's faithful dog sleeps peacefully on its red blanket.
Interestingly, this picture was once thought to be an original by Adriaen van Ostade, a prolific painter and etcher of peasant scenes. However, it is now considered to be a copy after one of his etchings."
See it in person
A Cobbler hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
