Children Teaching a Cat to Dance

Children Teaching a Cat to Dance or The Dancing Lesson is an oil-on-panel genre painting by Jan Steen, executed c.1660–1679 and now in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Children Teaching a Cat to Dance, Known as ‘The Dancing Lesson’
ArtistJan Steen Edit this on Wikidata
Yearc.1660–1679
Mediumoil paint, panel
Dimensions68.5 cm (27.0 in) × 59 cm (23 in)
LocationRijksmuseum, Netherlands Edit this at Wikidata
OwnerJacobus Salomon Hendrik van de Poll Edit this on Wikidata
Accession No.SK-A-718 Edit this on Wikidata
IdentifiersRKDimages ID: 6390
Bildindex der Kunst und Architektur ID (deprecated): 20186081

The painting depicts a group of children attempting to make a cat dance to the music of a shawm. The cat is screeching and the dog barking but the children are having fun. However, the old man at the window clearly disapproves of their behaviour.

The work is a typical example of Steen's indoor scenes of everyday Dutch life.

Origin

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The work comes from the collection of the jonkheer Jacob Salomon Hendrik van de Poll (1837–1880) in Amsterdam. He bequeathed his collection to the Rijksmuseum in 1880.

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  • SK-A-718 painting record on museum website