ARTWORKS

Skittle Players outside an Inn

Jan Steen (1625/1626–1679)

The National Gallery, London

Skittle Players outside an Inn

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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This sparkling little picture is unusual among Jan Steen’s paintings. We are outside an inn -- The White Swan, to judge by its sign -- rather than in its dark interior, Steen’s more typical setting.The energetic pose of the man bowling suggests that he's serious about his game and that, given a moment or two, the skittles will be scattered everywhere. His companions keep a close watch, while a little boy stands straight and gazes intently, a crutch under his arm. Steen has captured their moods and characters with the minimum of facial detail, their poses and gestures enough to tell us about them.Steen’s paintings are robust and entertaining. Perhaps the fact that he owned and kept an inn brought him close to the people and incidents he painted, making them immediate, lively and true to life.

The National Gallery, London

London

Read more on The National Gallery, London
Title

Skittle Players outside an Inn

Date

probably 1660-3

Medium

Oil on oak

Measurements

H 33.5 x W 27 cm

Accession number

NG2560

Acquisition method

Salting Bequest, 1910

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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Artist or maker

Jan Steen

1625/1626–1679

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