Loose company

Distraught fending-off, hesitation, flattery to beguile, blatant teasing — the gestures and facial expressions make this painting not only one of the earliest, but at the same time one of the most impressive examples of European genre painting. These are not biblical figures acting here, but ordinary people in a brothel! But this in no way diminishes the content — the work is a moral appeal: by means of a negative example, it calls upon the viewers (especially males) to refrain from excessive drinking, unchaste love, and gambling.