This engaging mid-17th-century Flemish oil on canvas depicts a cheerful young man who turns toward us with a knowing smile, his hand wrapped confidently around a stoneware beer jug. It was painted by an artist working in the circle of Flemish painter Jan Cossiers (1600-1671).The beauty of this portrayal is its candidness, as it lacks the formality of the mainstay of 17th-century portraiture. Here, we see a bright-eyed youth, possibly a brewery assistant, cooper, or young artisan, caught within a moment of unbridled merriment as if someone has called his name, mid-conversation.The portrait probably originates in Antwerp, one of the most diverse and vibrant ports in Northern Europe. Sailors, merchants, labourers, journeymen, rope-makers, dyers, soldiers between campaigns, and countless apprentices passed through its streets. For men of his class, community was found not in the grand houses of the Meir but in the taverns - warm, smoky, convivial refuges that served as the city’s s...