AMSTERDAM.- The Rijksmuseum’s Tavern Scenes exhibition gives an idea of what it was like to be in a tavern in the 16th and 17th-century. Taverns, fairs, village revelries and the accompanying feasting and fighting were favorite themes in art of the Low Countries in the 16th and 17th-centuries, and were meant to be both entertaining and educational. This graphic pub-crawl in 18 prints and drawings takes in some of the most colorful watering-holes in the Rijksmuseum Print Room collection.

Princes would pay huge sums to add a painting of rustic merrymakers by Pieter Bruegel to their collection. Prints after his drawings appeared in huge numbers and inspired generations of Dutch artists. Descendants of Bruegel’s villagers are featured in this presentation in the raucous drunkards depicted by Adriaen Brouwer, and likewise in the amiable drinking companions portrayed by Cornelis Dusart later in the 17th-century. Also shown are prints and drawings by masters such as Rembrandt, Adriaen van Ostade and Cornelis Bega who knew how to depict life in Holland’s taverns like no other.

"Tavern Scenes" runs from December 1, 2009 to March 1, 2010 at the Rijksmuseum. Since March 2009, the permanent presentation at the Rijksmuseum, "The Masterpieces", has featured a rotating small exhibition of prints and drawings from the museum’s magnificent collections of art and historical objects.