Adriaen Brouwer - The Slaughter House

Adriaen Brouwer (1605-1638) - Slaughter House (c. 1630)
East Germany 25 DDR Stamp Issued 1982
Staatliches Museum Schwerin

Brouwer was a Dutch Flemish genre painter whose primary interest appeared to be the goings on in the everyday lives of peasants.  All his works are colourful and almost comical.  This is one of many stamps issued in 1982 in East Germany depicting art works from the 17th Century.

Willem Claesz Heda - Breakfast Table with a Ham

Willem Claesz. Heda (1594-1680): Breakfast table with a ham, 1648.
East Germany 35DDR Stamp issued 1982
Staatliches Museum

Heda produced a large number of still life paintings during his long career as a painter from the Haarlem school of Dutch painters.  Opulent foods were depicted in these paintings, along with expensive silverware, wine glasses and time pieces, which were symbols of the briefness of life for individuals.  

Carel Fabritius - The Sentry

Carel Fabritius (1622-1654) - The Sentry

East Germany DDR Stamp Issued 1982

Painting completed in 1654

Staatliche Museum Schwerin Germany

Fabritius was one of Rembramdt's most gifted pupils, but his life was cut short in a gunpowder explosion in Delft Holland in 1654.  It is thought that only a dozen of his paintings survive.  

This excellently designed stamp depicts a painting that shows his ability to capture life-like light and shadows in everyday situations.  The colours and mood are also similar to his most famous work is "The Goldfinch".

Frans van Mieris - Duet

Frans Van Mieris (1635-1681) - Duet

Stamp issued East Germany DDR 1982

Painting completed 1658, held at Slaatliches Museum Schwerin

Van Mieris painted in the "Leiden Fijnschilders" (fine painting) style where small paintings were composed and meticulously executed in a manner aimed at reproducing reality.  He was a master of the Dutch Golden Age.

This painting was completed at a time when he was specialising in depicting the lives of the upper classes in Holland.  Clothing fabrics are richly ornate and the house is expensively furnished. 

The National Gallery of Art in Washington DC held an exhibition on the works by Frans van Mieris in 2006.