The Tax Collectors

This intimate genre scene, painted in oil on panel, offers a glimpse into the financial practices of the 16th century. Two figures are seated at a table, deeply absorbed in the act of accounting: one records figures in a ledger with a quill, while the other counts coins with focused precision. Their concentrated expressions and the clutter of money, papers, and containers evoke the meticulous nature of tax collection and bookkeeping in an era when civic administration and commerce were becoming increasingly formalised.

Works like this, typical of the Flemish School, often blend moral commentary with everyday realism. The detailed rendering of objects—coins, inkpots, ledgers—reflects the artist’s interest in material culture, while the subdued lighting and close framing create a sense of quiet intensity. Such scenes may have served as subtle critiques of greed or bureaucracy, or simply as reflections of the growing importance of financial literacy in early modern society.

Oil on panel, 112 x 85,5 cm