The Merry FamilyJan Havicksz Steen

Jan Havicksz Steen’s 1668 painting humorously depicts a lively family scene. The father sings with a raised glass, joined by the mother and grandmother, while children mimic them by playing instruments or smoking pipes. A note on the mantelpiece reads, ’As the old sing, so shall the young twitter,’ critiquing how parental behavior influences children, highlighting the cycle of influence within family dynamics.