Artwork
The Family Concert
The Family Concert is an oil painting by the Baroque artist Jan Steen. It dates from 1666 and is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
- Accession no.
- 561
- Credit line
- Gift of Timothy B. Blackstone
About this work
Overview
The Family Concert is an oil on canvas painting by Jan Steen, a prolific Dutch painter known for his comedic scenes of everyday life.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a lively gathering where six people make music together, while a boy in the foreground playfully mimics them, highlighting the perils of unbridled passion through a broken cello string.
Technique & Style
Steen's work is characterized by its use of humor and subtle allusions, with various 'jokes' scattered throughout the scene, such as a broken string, spilled wine, and a dog stealing food, creating a sense of everyday chaos.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Havickszoon Steen was a Dutch Golden Age painter, one of the leading genre painters of the 17th century.
Paintings of physicians by Jan Steen
The Dissolute Household
Merry Company on a Terrace
Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman
Interior of an inn with an old man amusing himself with the landlady and two men playing backgammon, known as 'Two kinds of games'
The Drunken Couple
The Happy Family
Bathsheba after the Bath
