A Moral in a Portrait
Jan Steen's Adolf and Catharina Croeser was on loan to the Taft Museum of Art from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, October 2023 - May 2024
New Faces on Our Walls
The Taft Museum of Art was pleased to highlight Jan Steen’s Adolf and Catharina Croeser, on loan from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, through May 2024. This rare work is one of just eight portraits known to have been completed by Steen.
Steen in Our Collection
Jan Steen is best known for his satirical, moralizing paintings like The Doctor’s Visit (part of the Taft’s collection, on view in Gallery 6: Virtue & Vice). Here, Steen warns that a young woman’s immodest behavior can lead to "lovesickness."
Did Steen intend his unusual portrait of the Croesers to carry a moral message, as was typical of most of his paintings?
Adolf and Catharina Croeser, Known as ‘The Burgomaster of Delft and his Daughter’ (1655) by Steen, Jan Havicksz.Rijksmuseum
Who are they?
Scholars have debated this painting for decades, even discussing whether it is indeed a portrait. After the Rijksmuseum purchased the work in 2004, however, historians from the University of Amsterdam identified the man and girl as Adolf and Catharina Croeser.
View of Delft (c. 1660 - 1661) by Vermeer, JohannesMauritshuis
Behind the Scene
Landmarks in the background helped pinpoint the precise location of the Croesers’ home, just across the Old Delft canal from a brewery managed by Jan Steen. Adolf Croeser, a corn merchant, might have supplied grain to the brewery.
Landmarks of Note
On the right is the Old Church, where Catharina was baptized.
Seen in the distance above Adolf’s shoulder are the spires of the Gemeenlandshuis, which housed the Delft water board, and the Prinsenhof, home of the organization that oversaw charitable giving.
All in the Details
Adolf was a widower, and the vase of flowers on the windowsill might be a memento of his deceased wife. Catharina was their only surviving child.
Still Life with Tilted Basket of Fruit, Vase of Flowers, and Shells (about 1640–1645) by Balthasar van der AstTaft Museum of Art
Lessons to Live By
In Dutch still lifes like this one by Balthasar van der Ast (part of the Taft’s collection, on view outside Gallery 6: Virtue & Vice), flowers served as emblems of mortality, reminders that wealth and luxury won’t last forever, so one should live a good life.
Helping Others
Encouraged by their faith, the Dutch believed that one way to live a good life was to share their wealth with those less fortunate. Is Adolf about to give aid to the woman and boy in the shadow of the Old Church that towers behind them?
Context Clues
The indecipherable text on the paper in Adolf’s hand could provide a clue. Some scholars have argued the document might be a letter. Others believe it is the woman’s license to solicit for alms—Dutch governments once certified individuals they deemed worthy of charity.
Did Steen leave the story open-ended on purpose? Perhaps by suspending Adolf in a moment of decision, the artist challenged people who saw the painting—including us, centuries later—to consider the division between economic classes and reflect on how to help those in need.
Written by Tamera Lenz Muente, Curator, Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, Ohio
