AN ABRIDGED HISTORY OF EUROPE 
by William M. Brinton 


Jan Steen (1626-1679)

Jan Havickszoon Steen was a Dutch painter who is especially noted for genre scenes. He was born in Leiden and educated at the University of Leiden. He is believed to have studied painting first in Utrecht with the German artist Nicolaus Knupfer, then in The Hague with the Dutch artist Jan van Goyen, whose daughter he married in 1649. Steen lived at The Hague until 1654, when he moved to Delft and, according to tradition, adopted his father's occupation of brewer. Subsequently he returned to Leiden, where he opened a tavern in 1672. Steen was a prolific painter, particularly of lively tavern scenes and of children, although he painted landscapes, portraits, and religious works as well. Among his best-known paintings are The Cat Family (1660, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest), Young Woman at Her Toilette (1663, Buckingham Palace, London), Wedding (1667, Wellington Museum, London), and The Surprise (1675, Metropolitan Museum, New York City).

Special thanks to the Microsoft Corporation for permission to use following biographical information from Microsoft® Encarta '97.

From: Carol Gerten's Fine Art (CGFA)
http://sunsite.auc.dk/cgfa/steen/steen_bio.htm

The Tric-Trac Players, (Holland 1667), Jan Steen, Oil on panel (45.5 x 39 cm), Collection of Francois Tronchin, Geneva (1770)

The Tric-Trac Players, (Holland 1667)
Jan Steen
Oil on panel (45.5 x 39 cm)
Collection of Francois Tronchin, Geneva (1770)
The State Hermitage Museum Digital Collection
www.hermitagemuseum.org

The Lovesick Woman (1660), Jan Steen, Oil on canvas, Alte Pinakothek, Munich

The Lovesick Woman (1660)
Jan Steen
Oil on canvas
Alte Pinakothek, Munich
Carol Gerten's Fine Art (CGFA)
http://sunsite.auc.dk/cgfa/steen/

The Dissolute Household (1668), Jan Steen, Oil on canvas, Wellington Museum, London

The Dissolute Household (1668)
Jan Steen
Oil on canvas
Wellington Museum, London
Carol Gerten's Fine Art (CGFA)
http://sunsite.auc.dk/cgfa/steen/

Grace Before a Meal (1660), Jan Steen, Oil on panel, Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire

Grace Before a Meal (1660)
Jan Steen
Oil on panel
Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire
Carol Gerten's Fine Art (CGFA)
http://sunsite.auc.dk/cgfa/steen/

Grace before Meat, Jan Steen, Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire

Grace before Meat
Jan Steen
Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire
Carol Gerten's Fine Art (CGFA)
http://sunsite.auc.dk/cgfa/steen/

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All contents © 1999 William M. Brinton