National Gallery of Art :: The Collection :: The Dancing Couple
  • Overview
  • Inscription
  • Provenance
  • Exhibition History
  • Bibliography

Overview

The mood and subject matter in Steen's paintings range enormously, from intimate moments when a family says grace before a meal to festive celebrations of Twelfth Night. But to all of his paintings we respond in a warm and compassionate way to the ordinary figures he represents.

The Dancing Couple is characteristic of many of Steen’s paintings in that it shows people celebrating a festive occasion; here, judging from the tents in the background, the scene might be a village kermis, or fair and market celebrating a local saint’s day. Two figures dance while musicians play, people eat, drink or smoke, couples flirt, and children play. Steen included himself in the activities; he is the grinning figure on the left touching the chin of the woman who drinks from a wine glass.

Despite the apparent frivolity of the scene, the painting has a more sobering message. Steen was a moralist who often used emblematic references in his paintings to express the transience of human life. The cut flowers and broken eggshells on the floor, and the young boy blowing bubbles on the right are symbolic. Steen seems to suggest that earthly pleasures are short–lived and we should contemplate more lasting values, symbolized here by the church tower in the background.

Inscription

lower left: JSteen 1663 (JS in ligature)

Marks and Labels

null

Provenance

Possibly (sale, The Hague, 24 April 1737, no. 7). probably Graf van Hogendorp; probably (his sale, The Hague, 27 July 1751, no. 6).[1] Pieter Bisschop [c. 1690-1758] and Jan Bisschop [1680-1771], Rotterdam, by 1752; purchased 1771 with the Bisschop collection by Adrian Hope [1709-1781] and his nephew, John Hope [1737-1784], Amsterdam; by inheritance after Adrian's death to John, Amsterdam and The Hague; by inheritance to his sons, Thomas Hope [1769-1831], Adrian Elias Hope [1772-1834], and Henry Philip Hope [1774-1839], Bosbeek House, near Heemstede, and, as of 1794, London, where the collection was in possession of John's cousin, Henry Hope [c. 1739-1811], London; by inheritance 1811 solely to Henry Philip, Amsterdam and London, but in possession of his brother, Thomas, London; by inheritance 1839 to Thomas' son, Henry Thomas Hope [1808-1862], London; by inheritance to his wife, née Adèle Bichat [d. 1884], London; by inheritance to her grandson, Henry Francis Hope Pelham-Clinton-Hope, 8th duke of Newcastle-under-Lyme [1866-1941], London; (P. & D. Colnaghi & Co. and Charles Wertheimer, London), 1898-1901; (Thos. Agnew & Sons, Ltd., London); sold 1901 to Peter A.B. Widener, Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania; inheritance from Estate of Peter A.B. Widener by gift through power of appointment of Joseph E. Widener, Elkins Park; gift 1942 to NGA.

[1] Mariët Westermann kindly brought the 1751 sale to the attention of Arthur K. Wheelock, Jr. For a discussion of the provenance of this painting, including the 1737 sale, see Ben Broos, Great Dutch Paintings from America, exh. cat., Mauritshuis, The Hague; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Zwolle and The Hague, 1990: 419-423.

Exhibition History

1818
British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom, London, 1818, no. 138, as Merrymaking.
1849
British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom, London, 1849, no. 84, as A Merrymaking.
1866
Possibly British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom, London, 1866, no. 33, as A Dinner Party.
1881
Exhibition of of Works by the Old Masters, and by Deceased Masters of the British School. Winter Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1881, no. 124, as A Village Fête.
1891
The Hope Collection of Pictures of the Dutch and Flemish Schools, The South Kensington Museum, London, 1891-1898, no. 25.
1909
The Hudson-Fulton Celebration, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1909, no. 126.
1925
Loan Exhibition of Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century, Detroit Institute of Arts, 1925, no. 26.
1990
Great Dutch Paintings from America, Mauritshuis, The Hague; The Fine Arts Musuems of San Francisco, M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, 1990-1991, no. 59, color repro., as Dancing Couple at an Inn.
1996
Jan Steen: Painter and Storyteller, National Gallery of Washington, D.C.; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 1996-1997, no. 20, repro.
2003
Loan to display with permanent collection, The National Gallery, London, 2003-2004.

Bibliography

1771
Kabinet van schilderijen, berustende, onder den heere Jan Bisschop te Rotterdam. Rotterdam, 1771: 10.
1781
Reynolds, Sir Joshua. Discourses, Idlers, a Journey to Flanders and Holland, in the Year MDCCLXXXI. Edinburgh, 1781: 169, 200, 204.
1818
British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom. Exh. cat. London, 1818: no. 138.
1824
An Account of All the Pictures Exhibited in the Rooms of the British Institution, from 1813 to 1823, Belonging to the Nobility and Gentry of England: with Remarks, Critical and Explanatory. London, 1824: 172, no. 7 or 9.
1824
Westmacott, C. M. British Galleries of Painting and Sculpture: Comprising a General Historical and Critical Catalogue with Separate Notices of Every Work of Fine Art in Principal Collections. London, 1824: 233.
1829
Smith, John. A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish and French Painters. 9 vols. London, 1829-1842: 4(1933):50, no. 150.
1838
Waagen, Gustav Friedrich. Works of Art and Artists in England. 3 vols. London, 1838: 2:334.
1849
British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom. Exh. cat. London, 1849: no. 84.
1854
Waagen, Gustav Friedrich. Works of Art and Artists in England. 3 vols. London, 1838: 3:34. 2:118.
1856
Westrheene Wz., Tobias van. Jan Steen: Étude sur l'art en Hollande. The Hague, 1856: 119-120, no. 89.
1866
British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United States. Exh. cat. London, 1866: no. 33.
1881
Exhibition of Old Masters, and by Deceased Masters of the British School.... Exh. cat., Royal Academy, London, 1881: no. 124.
1885
Widener 1885-1900, 2:165.
1891
The Hope Collection of Pictures of the Dutch and Flemish Schools. Exh. cat. South Kensington Museum, London, 1891: no. 25.
1898
The Hope Collection of Pictures of the Dutch and Flemish Schools with Descriptions Reprinted from the Catalogue Published in 1891 by the Science and Art Department of the South Kensington Museum. London, 1898: xxv, repro.
1907
Hofstede de Groot, Cornelis. A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century.... 8 vols., translated from the German edition. London, 1907-1917: 1(1907):171-172, no. 655.
1909
The Hudson-Fulton Celebration. Exh. cat. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1909: no. 126.
1910
Breck, Joseph. "Hollandsche kunst op de Hudson-Fulton tentoonstelling te New York." Onze Kunst 17 (February 1910): 41-47.
1910
Valentiner, Wilhelm R. "Die Ausstellung holländischer Gemälde in New York." Monatshefte für Kunstwissenschaft 3 (1910): 5-12.
1910
Wiersum, E. "Het schilderijen-kabinet van Jan Bisschop te Rotterdam." Oud Holland 28 (Summer 1910): 21-186.
1913
Hofstede de Groot, Cornelis, and Wilhelm R. Valentiner. Pictures in the Collection of P.A.B. Widener at Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania: Early German, Dutch, and Flemish Schools. Philadelphia, 1913: unpaginated, repro.
1923
Paintings in the Collection of Joseph Widener at Lynnewood Hall. Intro. by Wilhelm R. Valentiner. Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, 1923: unpaginated, repro.
1925
Loan Exhibition of Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century. Exh. cat. Detroit Institute of Arts, 1925: no. 26.
1925
Washburn Freund, F. E. "Eine Ausstellung niederländischer Malerei in Detroit." Der Cicerone 17, pt. 1: 460-464.
1931
Paintings in the Collection of Joseph Widener at Lynnewood Hall. Intro. by Wilhelm R. Valentiner. Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, 1931: 220, repro.
1938
Waldman, Emil. "Die Sammlung Widener." Pantheon 22 (November 1938): 334-343.
1948
Paintings and Sculpture from the Widener Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1948 (reprinted 1959): 53, repro.
1954
Martin, Wilhelm. Jan Steen. Amsterdam, 1954: 79.
1957
Shapley, Fern Rusk. Comparisons in Art: A Companion to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. London, 1957 (reprinted 1959): pl. 108
1958
Jan Steen. Exh. cat. Mauritshuis, The Hague, 1958: no. 18.
1960
Baird, Thomas P. Dutch Painting in the National Gallery of Art. Washington, D.C., 1960 (Booklet Number Seven in Ten Schools of Painting in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.): 28, color repro.
1960
The National Gallery of Art and Its Collections. Foreword by Perry B. Cott and notes by Otto Stelzer. National Gallery of Art, Washington (undated, 1960s): 25.
1961
Bille, Clara. De tempel der Kunst; of, Het kabinet van den heer Braamcamp. 2 vols. Amsterdam, 1961: 1:105.
1963
Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.. New York, 1963 (reprinted 1964 in French, German, and Spanish): 35, 315, repro., 344.
1964
Constable, W. G. Art Collecting in the United States of America: An Outline of a History. London, 1964: 117.
1965
Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 124.
1966
Cairns, Huntington, and John Walker, eds., A Pageant of Painting from the National Gallery of Art. 2 vols. New York, 1966: 1:242, color repro.
1968
European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1968: 111, repro.
1971
Reynolds, Joshua. The Works. Edmond Malone, ed. 2 vols. Hildesheim and New York, 1971: 71.
1974
Buist, Marten G. At Spes Non Fracta: Hope & Co. 1770-1815: Merchant Bankers and Diplomats at Work. The Hague, 1974: 492.
1975
European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 332, repro.
1975
Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. New York, 1975: 291, no. 385, color repro.
1977
Vries, Lyckle de. "Jan Steen, 'de kluchtschilder.'" Ph.D. diss., Rijksuniversiteit, Groningen, 1977: 53-54, 162, no. 97.
1978
King, Marian. Adventures in Art: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. New York, 1978: 59, pl. 33.
1980
Braun, Karel. Alle tot nu toe bekende schilderijen van Jan Steen. Rotterdam, 1980: 110-111, no. 180, repro.
1981
Niemeijer, J. W. "De kunstverzameling van John Hope (1737-1784)." Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek 32 (1981): 127-232.
1984
Philadelphia 1984, 312, repro.
1984
Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 291, no. 379, color repro.
1984
Wheelock, Jr., Arthur K. Dutch Painting in the National Gallery of Art. Washington, D.C., 1984: 6, 34-35, color repro.
1985
European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 381, repro.
1986
Sutton, Peter C. A Guide to Dutch Art in America. Grand Rapids and Kampen, 1986: 309, repro. 461.
1990
Broos, Ben P. J., et al. Great Dutch Paintings from America. Exh. cat. Mauritshuis, The Hague; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The Hague and Zwolle, 1990: no. 59.
1990
Buijsen, Edwin. "De kunst van het verzamelen: De verzamelaar centraal op Haags symposium." Tableau 13 (December 1990): 63-66, repro.
1990
Schneider, Cynthia P. Rembrandt's Landscapes. New Haven, 1990: 105-106, repro.
1991
Kopper, Philip. America's National Gallery of Art: A Gift to the Nation. New York, 1991: 195, color repro.
1992
National Gallery of Art, Washington. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 135, repro.
1995
Wheelock, Jr., Arthur K. Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1995: 364-369, color repro. 365.
1996
Jan Steen: Painter and Storyteller. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 1996-1997: no. 20.
1997
Palmer, Michael and Gifford, E. Melanie. "Jan Steen's Painting Practice: The Dancing Couple in the Context of the Artist's Career." Studies in the History of Art 57 (1997): 127-155, fig. 1.
2004
Hand, John Oliver. National Gallery of Art: Master Paintings from the Collection. Washington and New York, 2004: 211, no. 167, color repro.

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