Jan Steen (1626 – 1679) was a Dutch painter who is famous for his genre paintings depicting everyday life. He was also known to paint historical scenes, religious scenes, and portraiture. Steen was born in Leiden to a Catholic family who owned a tavern; he was one of eight children. In 1649, he moved in with the painter Jan van Goyen and married Goyen’s daughter, Margriet. Steen had many children and would often use his family as models for his paintings. “It’s a Jan Steen household” became a famous Dutch expression after his many genre paintings of messy, boisterous households which were often humorous in nature.

Jan Steen’s paintings in chronological order:

Fat Kitchen, c.1650	Lean Kitchen, c.1650	Meal, c.1650
Smoker, c.1650	Winter Landscape, c.1650	Quackdoctor, 1651
A Village Wedding, 1653	Peasants before an Inn, 1653	Village Festival with the Ship of Saint Rijn Uijt, c.1653
Burgher of Delft and his Daughter, 1655	Farmers to skittles, 1655	Action Proves the Man, 1659
Doctor’s Visit, c.1660	Girl eating oysters, 1660	Harpsichord Lesson, 1660
Idlers, 1660	In the Tavern, 1660	Liveliest, 1660
Love Sickness, 1660	Prayer before Meal, 1660	Prince`s day, 1660
Sick old Man, 1660	Wedding of Sarah and Tobias, c.1660	Doctor s Visit, 1662
Twelfth Night, 1662	Woman playing the sistrum, c.1662	Choice between Richness and Youth, 1663
Dancing couple, 1663	Dancing couple(detail), 1663	Dancing couple(detail), 1663
Dancing couple(detail), 1663	Dancing couple(detail), 1663	Dancing couple(detail), 1663
Dancing couple(detail), 1663	Dancing couple(detail), 1663	Dancing couple(detail), 1663
Dancing couple(detail), 1663	Dancing couple(detail), 1663	Dancing couple(detail), 1663
Pub garden, 1663	Skittle Players outside an Inn, 1663	Wealth is looking, 1663
Wealth is looking, 1663	Woman at Her Toilet, 1663	Celebrating the Birth, 1664
Dissolute Household, c.1665	An old to Young Girl, c.1665	Doctor’s Visit, 1665
Doctor’s visit, 1665	Effects of Intemperance, 1665	Feast of St. Nicholas, 1665
Life of Man, 1665	Little collector, 1665	Morning Toilet, 1665
Portrait of Geertruy Gael, Second Wife of Gerrit Gerritsz Schouten, 1665	Portrait of Gerrit Gerritsz Schouten, 1665	Prayer before Meal, 1665
Schoolmaster, 1665	Sick woman, 1665	The way you hear it, 1665
Country Wedding, 1666	Tric Trac Players, 1667	Inn with Violinist & Card Players, 1668
Marriage Contract, c.1668	Merry family, 1668	Rhetoricians, 1668
Samson and Delilah, 1668	School teacher, c.1668	Supper at Emmaus, c.1668
Twelfth Night, c.1668	Twelfth Night, 1668	Twin Birth Celebration, 1668
Wedding of Tobias and Sarah, 1668	Amnon and Tamar, 1670	Cheated groom, 1670
Couple in a Bedroom, 1670	Doctor`s visit, 1670	Return of the Prodigal Son, 1670
Samson and Delilah, 1670	Self-portrait, c.1670	Sick Woman, 1670
Tavern Scene, c.1670	Village school, c.1670	Wine is a Mocker, 1670
Merry Threesom, 1672	Wedding Feast at Cana, 1672	A Village Revel, 1673
Wrath of Ahasuerus, 1673	Egg Dance, 1674	Revelry at an Inn, 1674
Merry Company on a Terrace, 1675	Nocturnal Serenade, 1675	Garden Party, 1677
Worship of Golden Calf, 1677	A village wedding	A Village Wedding Feast with Revellers and a dancing Party
Argument over a Card Game	Arrival of a Visitor	Baker Oostwaert and his wife
Baptism	Bathsheba Receiving David s Letter	Card players
Cat family	Court	Dancing lesson
Dissolute Household	Drawing lesson	Drinker
Drunk woman	Easy Come, Easy Go	Family holiday
Feast of the Chamber of Rhetoricians near a Town Gate	Leaving the Tavern	Merry Couple
Mother and Child	Parrot cage	Peasant Wedding
Quack	Rhetoricians	Robbed violin player
Sacrifice of Iphigenia	Self-portrait with a lute	Wedding of Tobias and Sarah