There are actually plenty of examples of Golden Age painters who made common people as their subjects. Usually these works are classes under the 'genre painting' category with a number of genre painters specifically focusing on the lower classes. A great example is Adrian van Ostade who dedicated most of his work depicting tavern scene and the life of peasants. Vermeer himself, probably the one name everyone will know from the Golden Era painters, often made commoners the subject of his works. The one example that jumps to my head immediately is his 'The Milkmaid'.

However, although they can give a good idea of what life of common folk may have been, these paintings need to be taken with a pinch of salt. Remember, we are still some way away from realism as a trend in painting and many of these scenes are romanticised by the painter. You'll rarely if ever get a true an unadulterated view of what life might have been for these people. That said, when accompanied with some decent written social history, it could work as a good visual prompt.

This is not my specific area but I can provide some insights (and will happily defer to others who are experts).

In short: yes. There are many depictions of peasants from the 17th century in Northern Europe (as well as from before). That said, we should take such representations with a grain of salt, as they would likely have been influenced by contemporary and earlier beliefs about “peasants” and the peasant lifestyle—i.e., we have to look at these images critically and not assume they present a window into the past.

Although he’s from a century prior, Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1525–1569) was well known for his depictions of peasant activities. Although peasants were sometimes shown as comical or boorish, Bruegel’s paintings are also remarkable for their sensitive and observant portrayals of peasant life—A Peasant Wedding is a great example of this, as it records (with a degree of ethnographic accuracy) the elements of a peasant wedding. The same might be said for his image of the Wheat Harvest, which captures an unidealized scene of peasants at work.

Many artists and writers in the 16th century seemed to have a genuine interest in peasant life; several went so far as to perform ethnographic work across Europe such as collecting and publishing the native costumes and vernacular proverbs of peasants from different countries. According to the art historian Svetlana Alpers, the relative prosperity of peasants in the mid-16th century contributed to this interest in rustic, peasant life, as the peasant became (in the eyes of city-dwellers) “and attractive, perhaps enviable figure.” (Alpers 1972, 169) Furthermore, peasants could also be interpreted as industrious and virtuous, due to perceptions around their labor. And their association with the idealized pastoral landscape (a contrast to the city) could further their appeal.

A number of images from the 16th and 17th centuries bear witness to this changing (positive) notion of the peasant and his relationship to country leisure activities. Peasant weddings, banquets, and kermises (summer fairs) were popular subjects in art during both centuries; I mentioned Bruegel already (16th century), and artists like David Vinckboons and Jan van de Velde continued this in the 17th century. Kermises offered a distinct chance to depict the simple pleasures of peasant leisure. There may be some moralizing elements in these images, but the inclusion of burghers and city-folk in many pictures also suggests at least a partial acceptance of peasant festivities. The Flemish art historian Karel van Mander, in a quote for a kermis drawing, lends credence to the idea that peasant leisure activities could be considered acceptable; he writes, “Let us be fresh and free for it is not a kermis every day.” (quoted in Alpers)

Some of the more notable portrayals of peasants from the 17th century are found in a series of prints about Leisure by the artist Abraham Bloemaert. In contrast to prior works, Bloemaert’s leisure series presents more intimate scenes of peasant life. The point of view has been dramatically lowered; thefigures have grown considerably in size; and the landscape has been reduced to a minor role. In all of Bloemaert’s scenes the peasants have become the overwhelmingly dominant element, and through their size, position, and gesture they often suggest that the viewer enjoys a pictorial intimacy greater than has previously been depicted.

Bloemaert also chooses distinctive subjects. In contrast to typical images of peasant kermises, weddings, banquets, and dances, Bloemaert’s set depicts peasants doing nothing at all; some recline, some sit or stand idly, and others sleep.

So again, yes, there are plenty of images of peasants from the 17th century in Northern Europe. Some sources I’ve pulled from (and which contain much more detail) include:

Svetlana Alpers, “Bruegel’s Festive Peasants,” (Simiolus VI/3-4, 1972-73)

Robert W. Baldwin, “Peasant Imagery and Bruegel’s Fall of Icarus” (Konsthistorisk Tidskrift LV/3, 1986)

Elizabeth A. Honig, “Country Folk and City Business: a Print Series by Jan van de Velde,” (Art Bulletin 78, September 1996),

Marcel G. Roethlisberger and Marten Jan Bok, Abraham Bloemaert and His Sons: Paintings and Prints, (Doornspijk: Davaco, 1993)