Self-portrait of the artist with his wife Isabella de Wolff in the inn

Metsu portrays himself with his wife Isabella de Wolff in an inn or tavern setting in this 1661 painting at the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. Double self-portraits with spouses were significant personal documents, and Metsu"s decision to place himself and his wife in a convivial inn setting—rather than a more formal studio or domestic interior—suggests both humor and marital ease. The painting documents the artist at thirty-two, in the midst of his most productive period.

The inn setting provides a more relaxed context than formal portraiture, with food, drink, and the convivial atmosphere contributing to the scene"s warmth. Metsu renders his own features and those of his wife with the careful observation of a painter looking in a mirror and at a companion, the directness of the gaze establishing intimacy with the viewer. The palette is warm and golden, with the inn"s interior lit by the warm, diffused light that characterizes Metsu"s interiors.