Beggars at a Doorway
The Met
Artist: Master of the Béguins, French or Flemish, active 1650–60 (possibly Abraham Willemsens, Flemish, active by 1627, died 1672)
Department: European Paintings
Classification: Paintings
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 20 1/4 x 23 3/8 in. (51.4 x 59.4 cm)
Credit Line: Purchase, 1871
Visual Descriptions
AI GeneratedVisual Summary
Brief Description
A well-dressed man faces a group of figures and a kneeling man under a stone archway
Detailed Description
The image depicts a street scene with several figures gathered under a large, light-colored stone archway. In the center, a well-dressed man stands facing left, wearing a dark hat, a black cloak over a dark doublet, white cuffs, and a white ruff. He holds a pair of light-colored gloves in his left hand, which rests on his hip. To his left, a group of five figures approaches him. A woman in a light-colored headscarf and dress carries a baby on her back, wrapped in a teal cloth. She extends her right hand towards the man. Next to her, an older man with a beard and a dark cap holds a hat in his hand. A small child stands between them, looking towards the well-dressed man. In front of the woman, a barefoot boy in brown tattered clothes holds out a small bowl. In the background, to the far left, faint figures are visible in a hazy, open area. To the right of the well-dressed man, a man in a light brown robe kneels on the ground, facing left, with his hands clasped together and a rosary draped over them. A dark hat lies on the ground near him. The background behind the figures is a dark, shadowed interior of the archway, revealing architectural details and faint figures further back. The overall color palette is muted, dominated by browns, grays, and creams, with accents of dark blue and teal.
Generated by gemini-2.5-flash
