The Merry Family

In the pictureA large family has gathered around a table spread with a white cloth. The grandfather in the chair at the left raises his glass and sings, and the grandmother in spectacles sings along, reading from a sheet of paper. The mother in the middle holds a baby, and behind her a man plays the bagpipes. At the right a young man in a red cap plays a pipe, and behind him a boy and a girl puff on long clay pipes. In front, a small child puts its mouth to a jug held by a girl in a yellow skirt, and at the window on the left another boy leans in. A dog, a silver plate, a frying pan, and a brown jug are scattered across the floor.

BackgroundA paper pinned above the fireplace carries a Dutch proverb meaning "as the old sing, so pipe the young." The children with pipes, both the musical kind and the smoking kind, in their mouths put this proverb directly before our eyes. The museum describes it as a picture with a lesson: what will become of children if their parents set a bad example? Jan Steen painted this proverb several times, and he was so well known for such scenes that in the Netherlands a disorderly household is called "a Jan Steen household." His signature and the date 1668 are at the lower right.

Puzzle tipStart with the brightest areas, the white tablecloth, the yellow skirt in front of it, and the two children in green, to set the center of the picture. Next, attach the grandfather's red sleeve, the orange cloak of the young man in the red cap, and the white paper above the fireplace. The green trees and sky outside the window at the left, the orange jug at the lower right, and the round plate on the floor are also easy to place. The brown walls and floor are broad and similar, so fill them last, watching the corners of furniture and the joints between tiles. The recommended piece count is Hard (about 100 pieces).