A Party of Peasants
between 1648 and 1650
Jan Steen brings the chaotic energy of 17th-century Dutch tavern life to life in this bustling scene. Set against a crumbling brick inn, peasants are caught in various states of merrymaking and daily chores—one man drinks straight from a jug while another kneels to inspect a wooden barrel. Steen, a master of the Baroque genre, was famous for hiding moral lessons within his lively, messy compositions, giving rise to the Dutch phrase 'a Jan Steen household' for a chaotic home. You can almost hear the laughter and clinking jugs as you look at the diverse crowd gathered in the courtyard.
- Technique
- Oil painting
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