Portrait of Jan Steen

Jan Steen Painting Reproductions 1 of 1

c.1626-1679

Dutch Baroque Painter

Jan Havickszoon Steen (c. 1626, Leiden - buried Feb 3, 1679 in Leiden) was a Dutch painter of the 17th century (also known as the Dutch Golden Age). Psychological insight, sense of humour and abundance of colour are marks of his trade.

Life
Steen was born into a well-to-do, Catholic family that had run the tavern The Red Halbert in Leiden for several generations. Like his even more famous contemporary Rembrandt van Rijn (1606 - 1669) Jan Steen attended the Latin school in Leiden. He received his painterly education from Nicolaes Knupfer (1603-1660), a German painter of historical and figurative scenes in Utrecht. Influences of Knupfer can be found in Steen's use of composition and colour. Another source of inspiration was Adriaen van Ostade (1610 - 1685), painter of rural scenes, who lived in Haarlem. Whether Steen actually studied with Ostade is not known.
In 1648 Jan Steen joined the Sint Lucas Guild of painters at Leiden, but soon after became an assistant to renowned landscape painter Jan van Goyen (1596-1656) and moved into his house on the Bierkade in The Hague. On Oct 3, 1649 he married van Goyen's daughter Margriet, with whom he would have seven children. Steen worked with his father-in-law until 1654, when he moved to Delft, where he ran brewery De Roscam (The Curry Comb) without much success. He lived in Warmond from 1656 till 1660 and in Haarlem from 1660 till 1670 in which period he was especially productive. In 1670, after the death of his wife in 1669 and his father in 1670, Steen moved back to Leiden, where he stayed the rest of his life. In April 1673 he married again, with Maria van Egmont, who gave him another child. In 1674 he became president of the Sint Lucas Guild. He died in 1679 and was interred in a family grave in the Pieterskerk.

Works
Daily life was Jan Steen's main pictorial theme. Many of the scenes he portrayed are lively to the point of chaos and lustfulness, even so much that a Jan Steen household, meaning a messy scene, became a Dutch proverb (een huishouden van Jan Steen). Subtle hints in his paintings seem to suggest that Steen meant to warn the viewer rather than invite him/her to copy this behaviour. Many of Steen's paintings bear references to old Dutch proverbs or literature. He often used members of his family as a model. Jan Steen painted also quite a few self-portraits, in which he showed no tendency of vanity.
Steen did not shy from other themes: he painted historical, mythological and religious scenes, portraits, still lifes and natural scenes. His portraits of children are famous. He is also well known for his mastery of light and attention to detail, most notably in textiles. Steen was prolific, producing about 800 paintings, of which roughly 350 survive.
Steen's work was valued much by contemporaries and as a result he was reasonably well paid for his work. He did not have any students, but his work proved a source of inspiration for many painters.

9 Jan Steen Paintings

The Harpsichord Lesson, c.1660 by Jan Steen | Painting Reproduction

The Harpsichord Lesson c.1660

Oil Painting
$2315
Canvas Print
$50.19
SKU: SJH-3226
Jan Steen
Original Size: 37.4 x 48.4 cm
The Wallace Collection, London, United Kingdom

Self-Portrait with Lute, c.1663/65 by Jan Steen | Painting Reproduction

Self-Portrait with Lute c.1663/65

Oil Painting
$2396
Canvas Print
$60.90
SKU: SJH-3227
Jan Steen
Original Size: 55.3 x 43.8 cm
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid, Spain

Interior of Inn with Old Man, Landlady and Two Men, c.1636/79 by Jan Steen | Painting Reproduction

Interior of Inn with Old Man, Landlady and Two Men c.1636/79

Oil Painting
$6046
Canvas Print
$67.49
SKU: SJH-3278
Jan Steen
Original Size: 63 x 69.5 cm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Leiden Baker Arend Oostwaert and His Wife, c.1658 by Jan Steen | Painting Reproduction

Leiden Baker Arend Oostwaert and His Wife c.1658

Oil Painting
$3103
Canvas Print
$50.19
SKU: SJH-3279
Jan Steen
Original Size: 37.7 x 31.5 cm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Sick Woman, c.1665 by Jan Steen | Painting Reproduction

The Sick Woman c.1665

Oil Painting
$3148
Canvas Print
$63.06
SKU: SJH-3280
Jan Steen
Original Size: 76 x 63.5 cm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Woman at her Toilet, c.1661/65 by Jan Steen | Painting Reproduction

Woman at her Toilet c.1661/65

Oil Painting
$1958
Canvas Print
$50.19
SKU: SJH-3281
Jan Steen
Original Size: 37 x 27.5 cm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Feast of Saint Nicholas, c.1663/65 by Jan Steen | Painting Reproduction

The Feast of Saint Nicholas c.1663/65

Oil Painting
$6336
Canvas Print
$65.14
SKU: SJH-3282
Jan Steen
Original Size: 82 x 70.5 cm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Children Teaching a Cat to Dance (Dancing Lesson), c.1665/68 by Jan Steen | Painting Reproduction

Children Teaching a Cat to Dance (Dancing Lesson) c.1665/68

Oil Painting
$3587
Canvas Print
$65.69
SKU: SJH-3283
Jan Steen
Original Size: 68.5 x 59 cm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

An Elegant Company Playing Cards, c.1660 by Jan Steen | Painting Reproduction

An Elegant Company Playing Cards c.1660

Oil Painting
$5036
Canvas Print
$56.43
SKU: SJH-19616
Jan Steen
Original Size: 45.7 x 60.3 cm
Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Massachusetts, USA

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