Getting started with the collection:
The Drunken Couple
Jan Havicksz Steen (c. 1625–1679), oil on panel, c. 1655–1665
A man and woman are so drunk that they are unaware they are being robbed. Their foolishness is underscored by the print on the partition. It depicts an owl, considered a stupid creature in the 17th century. After all, it could not see by day, not even with a candle or eyeglasses. The drunken couple is thus just as blind as the owl, a message that survives in the English idiom ‘blind as a bat’.
- Artwork typepainting
- Object numberSK-C-232
- Dimensionsheight 52.5 cm x width 64 cm