Artwork
Christ in the House of Mary and Martha
Christ in the House of Mary and Martha is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jan Steen. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
About this work
Overview
Christ in the House of Mary and Martha is a painting by Jan Steen, executed in oil paint around 1650. It is currently housed at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a scene from the New Testament, showing Jesus Christ in the home of Mary and Martha. A woman serves food in the foreground, while another woman sits at a table with Jesus, surrounded by various household objects.
Technique & Style
The warm color palette, dominated by browns and yellows, creates a cozy atmosphere. Chiaroscuro adds depth, with light coming from the left. Steen's use of impasto and glazing techniques adds texture and visual interest to the scene.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Havickszoon Steen was a Dutch Golden Age painter, one of the leading genre painters of the 17th century.
Paintings of physicians by Jan Steen
The Dissolute Household
Merry Company on a Terrace
Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman
Interior of an inn with an old man amusing himself with the landlady and two men playing backgammon, known as 'Two kinds of games'
The Drunken Couple
The Happy Family
Bathsheba after the Bath
