A village wedding 

Jan Steen painted this exuberant scene with oil paints and brushes during the Dutch Golden Age. This era of painting placed value on paintings made using observation, but also on the skills of the painter to convincingly depict narratives with many elements. The way Steen has built up the composition is significant. The rough canvas support has been covered with many layers of paint, each carefully laid to give the impression of volume and movement. Look closely, and you will notice the details. Steen has picked out the reflective surfaces of the musical instruments, and the varied textures of clothing. These details, so lovingly rendered, would have resonated with the upwardly mobile merchant class of the day. Steen demonstrates his mastery, not only of materials, but also of the subject. He reminds us that skill, and hard work, still matter.