Note on Art

This note from LeRoy Neiman pairs two figures—a harlequin and a shrouded man (titled “Hamlet”)—positioned in the same craned posture, holding a skull. Above the mirrored images, Neiman has written: “Van Ostade — Boors Regaling… Dancing in the Barn 1652.” This annotation is a reference to Ostade’s 1659 Peasants Dancing in a Tavern, previously titled, among others, An Interior with Boors Regaling. Neiman cited Ostade as an influence in his work, but the writing's placement proves unclear, given the disjuncture between the specified piece (a bawdy tavern scene) and the succinct imagery of Neiman’s twinning Harlequin and Hamlet. The previous function of the note is unknown.