Rhetoricians at a Window
Jan Steen, the ultimate prankster of the Dutch Golden Age, captures a hilarious moment of literary pretension gone wrong. Here, a group of 'rhetoricians'—members of a local poetry club—lean out of a tavern window to recite their verses, but it looks like the wine has flowed a bit too freely. While one bespectacled man passionately reads from a scroll, his companion looks utterly bored, nursing a jug, while another guy in the back makes a rude face. It's a classic Steen scene: poking fun at people who think they're high culture but are really just looking for an excuse to party.
- Technique
- Oil on panel
- Material
- Oil paint
Location: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
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