Jan SteenDutch, 1626–1679Het dronken paar
Can I see it?
Unknown
Where is “Het dronken paar” now? Collection: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Unknown.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
The owner is known; whether it is on view today is not.
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
The Drunken Couple is an oil-on-oak-panel painting by Jan Steen, painted c.1655–1665 and now in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It depicts a drunken couple so inebriated that they are completely unaware of the intruders skulking in the background. The theme is reinforced by the print of an owl above their heads; in the 17th century the owl was a metaphor for being stupid and blind, reputedly not able to see in the daytime.
Adriaan van der Hoop donated it and the rest of his collection to the city of Amsterdam in 1854. It was initially assigned to the Museum van der Hoop before being moved to its present home on 30 June 1885.
In the museum's words
A man and woman are so drunk that they are unaware they are being robbed. Their foolishness is underscored by the print on the partition. It depicts an owl, considered a stupid creature in the 17th century. After all, it could not see by day, not even with a candle or eyeglasses. The drunken couple is thus just as blind as the owl, a message that survives in the English idiom ‘blind as a bat’.
Rijksmuseum
Details
- Accession number
- SK-C-232
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Rijksmuseum
- Image: Rijksmuseum — public domain
In the life of Jan Steen
The whole life1654–1657
The “De Slang” brewery in Delft
In Delft Steen ran the brewery “De Slang” (“The Snake”) for three years without much success; his father had leased it for him.
1655
Son born: Cornelis Steen
1656–1660
Warmond: productive years
From 1656 to 1660 Steen lived in Warmond, just north of Leiden, and was especially productive.
1660–1670
Haarlem: his most productive period
From 1660 to 1670 Steen lived in Haarlem, and this was the most productive period of his life.
