Getting started with the collection:
The Merry Family
Jan Havicksz. Steen, 1668
The entire family is in high spirits, creating a ruckus: father, mother, and grandmother sing loudly, the children join in, and they even puff on long pipes. The note on the mantelpiece hints that there is a lesson to be learned from this painting: ‘As the old sing, so shall the young twitter.’ What is to become of the children if their parents set the wrong example?
- Artwork typepainting
- Object numberSK-C-229
- Dimensionsheight 110.5 cm x width 141 cm
- Physical characteristicsoil on canvas