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A rural wedding is taking place in a courtyard. The groom descends the stairs to welcome the bride. The congregation appears to be criticising and mocking the couple. It is probable that the bride has already lost her virginity. This can be deduced from the relief on the fountain which shows a horseman abducting a struggling woman. In that case, Jan Steen gives a lively commentary to an inappropriate marriage that is completely at odds with the middle-class morality of the time. The date 1653 is found at bottom left, a rare occurrence in Steen's work. This means that this work can be considered the earliest masterpiece by Steen. The figures are clearly grouped and each shows individually a masterful characterisation. 'The village marriage' proves that before his departure for Delft Jan Steen was an independent artist, and already a master of his art.

Details

  • Title: The Village Wedding
  • Creator Lifespan: 1626 - 1679
  • Creator Nationality: Dutch
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Creator Death Place: Leiden, the Netherlands
  • Creator Birth Place: Leiden, the Netherlands
  • Date Created: 1653
  • Physical Dimensions: w810 x h640 cm (Without frame)
  • Painter: Jan Havicksz. Steen
  • Original Title: De dorpsbruiloft
  • More Info: Link - Read more about Golden Age - Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen - http://collectie.boijmans.nl/en/disclaimer/
  • Artist Information: Jan Steen is known for his humorous depictions of the everyday life of farmers and the middle-classes in 17th-century Holland. He worked in The Hague, Haarlem, Delft, where he also rented a brewery, and Leiden where he ran an inn. His genre paintings as a rule had a strong moralistic meaning, some of them even examples of Old Dutch proverbs. People still talk of a 'household by Jan Steen' to refer to a messy and exuberant way of house-keeping.
  • Type: Painting
  • Rights: Lent by Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed 1948, http://collectie.boijmans.nl/en/disclaimer/
  • External Link: Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
  • Medium: Oil on canvas

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