Born into a wealthy family, Jan Steen was an educated subject-painter who specialised in popular light-hearted genre themes. His characters and compositions were strongly influenced by contemporary literature—particularly by the Commedia dell’arte— and his scenes from daily life often conveyed a moral message based on old Dutch proverbs or folktales. This tavern interior depicts the well-known story of a pregnant woman presented as a suitable marriage partner to a gullible old man by her crafty young lover. Like many other works by Steen, the painting includes a figure standing outside the story, as it were, looking on; he has been identified as the artist.

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17th Century17th Century - Dutch paintingPaintingOilcanvas
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