The Feast of Saint Nicholas

Jan Steen painted The Feast of Saint Nicholas around 1665, during his most productive period in Haarlem. The painting depicts the Dutch celebration of Sinterklaas, the December 5th holiday that was the most important gift-giving occasion in the Dutch Republic. Three children gather around a fireplace, their faces lit by the warm glow of the fire. The girl on the left holds a doll and a bucket of treats, her face bright with satisfaction. The boy in the center has been less fortunate. He holds a shoe containing a bundle of twigs, the traditional punishment for bad children, and his face is a study in disappointment. A third child peeks from behind the chimney. An older woman sits at the right, pointing at the shoe and its contents, delivering what appears to be a lecture. On the floor, scattered treats and toys tell the story of the morning's haul. The Feast of Saint Nicholas was a well-established holiday in the Dutch Republic by Steen's time. Children left their shoes by the fireplace on the night of December 5th, and Sinterklaas filled them with treats or twitches depending on behavior. Steen painted the subject at least twice. This version, in the Rijksmuseum, is the larger and more detailed of the two. Steen was born in Leiden in 1626 and worked in various Dutch cities throughout his career. He painted tavern scenes, kitchen scenes, holiday celebrations, and biblical stories, all with the same energy and humor. His paintings are packed with narrative detail, each figure a small character study. The Dutch phrase "a Jan Steen household" came to mean a household in cheerful disorder. Oil on canvas, 82 by 70 centimeters. Steen used a warm palette of browns, reds, and yellows, with the firelight providing the primary light source. The children's faces are carefully modeled, each one a distinct emotional response to the holiday. This painting works well in a dining room, kitchen, or family room during the holiday season. The 16x20 framed version in a red oak frame complements the warm tones. The painting is in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. This is a public domain artwork, sourced from Wikimedia Commons. We print it on archival matte paper at sizes from 8x10 to 24x36 inches, framed or unframed. The image is printed at full resolution with no cropping.