Twelfth-night feast

Steen, Jan (1626-1679)

Item type:

painting

Date of creation:

1662

Height:

131.1 cm  (51 5/8 in.)

Width:

164.5 cm  (64 3/4 in.)

Framed: 155.6 x 188.6 cm

Technique / Medium:

oil on canvas

School:

Dutch golden age

Description

The festive group depicted in this painting includes one musician playing a violin.
Commentary from the museum website:
Twelfth Night is observed in early January, marking the end of the Christmas season and beginning of Epiphany. It celebrates the arrival (twelve days after Christ’s birth) of the Three Kings, led by a star to the newborn Jesus. Here Steen depicts the jovial atmosphere of a prosperous Dutch family's celebrations. Notice the painting’s many details: egg shells litter the floor where children play with candles symbolic of the Kings, while at the table, adults carouse as a boy offers the little "king" a bite of his holiday waffle.

Iconclass

43A144
Twelfth Night, usually falling on the eve of January 6
43A2
private festivities, merry company
48C7521
one person playing string instrument (bowed)
48C7311
violin, fiddle

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Violin [3573] (with bow)

RIdIM images

Image URLs

image link 1

RIdIM record id

5931