Slaughtered Pig in a Barn, 1643

About the Work

In the clutter of a thatched barn, the gaping body of a pig is the shining highlight. The animal has just been slaughtered, hung up by its hind feet, slit open and disembowelled. Propped open with a stick, the carcass has been left to cool. The farmer’s wife stirs the blood in a vat. Adriaen van Ostade painted the flesh and lumps of fat in the pig’s body in a manner entirely different from the rest of scene – with impasto brushstrokes, making the sight of death an almost tactile experience.