Merrymaking in a Tavern by Jan Steen (1674)

A classic of Jan Steen’s “merrymaking” genre paintings of the Dutch Golden Age.

I saw this at the Wallace Collection in London.

The tavern scene is filled with a variety of funny characters - mother with baby, dancers, violin players (17th century DJ), children, onlookers, branches hanging from wiring at the ceiling, pets on the floor, plates and cutlery around. Jan Steen is putting on a theatrical show. He’s an agent of chaos & anarchy.

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I was reminded of a comment made by Nick (nickhereandnow) recently. According to the Wallace, the key symbol is once again depicted on the wall:

Steen’s Merrymaking in a Tavern combines the Flemish tradition of low-life tavern scenes with the more elegant Dutch merry companies. The lively description of the domestic muddle of mothers, children, dancers, musicians and onlookers creates a boisterous scene. The lack of a central motif reinforces the work’s naturalistic appearance, yet the composition is carefully constructed around a group of selected incidents. A key hangs on the back wall of the tavern, suspended between a dancing girl and an older quarrelsome couple, as a warning of where such mayhem might lead. The variety of human life is depicted, with an old woman praying next to a young boy at a table, an amorous seated couple, a bagpipe player, a group of men drinking on the right and a mother, baby and crouching boy in the foreground. Each of these characters illustrates human conduct at different ages.

While doing some research for this post, I came across an essay by Hailey Byrde. She uses a painting by Metsu to show how a bird depicted can have both a sexual connotation while touching a broader Dutch perception about women’s “place”. I think the key is very clearly sexual (key going into lock) while also referring to the house and home. A clever symbol.