Jan STEEN
Dutch 1626-1679
Interior
c. 1661-65
oil on wood panel
55.6 x 43.0 cm
Felton Bequest 1922
1248-3

Steen's paintings frequently carry a moralistic message and the everyday objects depicted can be read as symbols of vice or virtue. A cat is often used to represent lasciviousness, while a flask refers to drunkenness.
Interior is a far from subtle painting about a collapsing marriage. On the right is the drunken, crumpled husband whose wife is plotting her next amorous adventure, even while nursing her baby. The revellers in the background look directly at the viewer, inviting us to share their ridicule of the couple.