Artwork
A Boys' School
A Boys' School is an oil painting by Francis Cleyn. It dates from 1618 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1618, *A Boys' School* is an oil painting by the German‑born artist Francis Cleyn, who worked in England during the early seventeenth century. The work is held in the collection of Denmark’s Statens Museum for Kunst and portrays a domestic educational scene.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a group of schoolboys gathered around an adult instructor. The children, dressed in a range of coloured garments, appear attentive as one holds a book, suggesting a lesson in progress. The setting conveys the values of early modern instruction and the communal nature of learning.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas, the painting displays a careful handling of light and texture. Cleyn renders the interior with a high ceiling, chandelier, and columns, while the chiaroscuro around the dark‑robed teacher and the fireplace creates depth and focus on the figures.
History & Provenance
Francis Cleyn, also known as Francesco or Franz Klein, was active as a painter and tapestry designer in England in the first half of the 1600s. *A Boys' School* entered the Statens Museum for Kunst’s holdings at an unspecified date, where it remains part of the museum’s early modern European collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Francis Cleyn (or Francesco Cleyn or Clein; also Frantz or Franz Klein; c. 1582 – 1658) was a German-born painter and tapestry designer who lived and worked in England.
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A Boys' School