Page:Hofstede de Groot catalogue raisonné, Volume 1, 1908.djvu/179

 i JAN STEEN 155 ing, and playing in a large hall, from the roof of which hangs a purple curtain. In the centre an old man pays court to a young woman and offers her an oyster. In front of them is a little girl carrying a dog in her blue pinafore ; two boys are making a cat dance. To the left at the hearth a maid-servant is preparing oysters and sprinkling them with lemon-juice. Behind her an old man has a little girl on his knee and offers her a pear. On the right a man is eating oysters. At a table with food on it are seated a young man playing a lute (? Jan Steen), a young woman listening to the music, and a stout man holding a glass. There are other groups in the background. High up in a gallery a boy lies on his face and blows soap-bubbles ; near him is a skull. It is a notable composition with many fine details, and excellently painted accessories. Unfortunately the blue under-painting shows through and spoils the colour-scheme. The lighting in the background is very effective ; the large curtain forms a good contrast to the scene below. Signed in full on a pillar to the right ; canvas, 27 inches by 32 inches. Engraved by Oortman in the "Musee Francais." Sale. A. Bout, The Hague, August u, 1733, No. 134 (515 florins). In the collection of Benjamin da Costa, The Hague (Hoet, ii. 469). Sale. Benjamin' da Costa, The Hague, August 13, 1764 (Terw. 378 and 710), No. 62 (1745 florins, for the Stadtholder William V.). Taken to the Louvre after the French conquest, but restored in 1815 to the Hague Museum. Now in the Royal Picture Gallery, The Hague, 1895 catalogue, No. 170. 596. INTERIOR WITH MERRY RUSTICS. Signed in full on the left-hand bottom corner ; panel, 12 inches by 14! inches. Now in the Kunsthalle, Hamburg, 1887 catalogue, No. 172 ; the bequest of E. Harzen. 597. MERRY RUSTICS IN A TAVERN, WITH A COUPLE DANCING. Sm. 191 ; W. 54. In the centre of a large room, which has a wooden ceiling and is decorated with branches, a couple are dancing. In the right foreground some merry persons sit at table. In front of them sits a woman with a child in her lap ; a man with a courtly gesture offers her a glass of wine. In front of her is a cask. To the left of the table sits a woman, who looks round ; beside her is a boy drinking a glass of wine. In the right background a man leads a girl down some steps. Near them a hurdy-gurdy player stands on a barrel, and a man comes up from the cellar. To the left is another table with merrymakers. In the foreground a drunken peasant sits on a cushion on the floor ; he holds a beer-glass in his right hand and a pipe in his left. Near him is a barking dog. On the floor are an overturned bench, pans, and egg-shells. At the back a door leads into the open. It "may be placed among the painter's best performances " (Sm.). Canvas, 24^ inches by 30^ inches. Described by Ch. Blanc, Nagler, and Waagen (ii. 10). Exhibited at the British Gallery, 1826 and 1827. In the collection of King William IV. of England, 1833 (Sm.). Now at Buckingham Palace, 1885 catalogue, No. 83.