Dutch Golden Age · 1626–1679 · Dutch

Jan Steen

Across 3 works, the colors are mostly brown (63%), black (28%) and gray (6%). On average the canvases are dark, moderately saturated and warm. Signature colors, used far more here than across the collection: bistre, dark amber brown, dark brown, dark reddish brown and rich scarlet brown.

Color print

The swatches covering most of these canvases, averaged over every work, dark to light.

• MG 219 bistre 21.2% of canvas
• MG 177 dark taupe 9.2% of canvas
• MG 168 dark amber brown 8.5% of canvas
• MG 169 dark brown 5.5% of canvas
• MG 156 dark reddish brown 4.5% of canvas
• MG 167 brown 4.0% of canvas
• MG 176 taupe 3.4% of canvas
• MG 223 soot 3.0% of canvas
• MG 222 charcoal 3.0% of canvas
• MG 186 dark umber 2.9% of canvas
• MG 220 warm black 2.7% of canvas
• MG 184 umber 2.7% of canvas
• MG 185 dark golden umber 2.5% of canvas
• MG 155 dark reddish brown 2.3% of canvas
• MG 162 rich scarlet brown 2.1% of canvas
• MG 216 dark grey 2.1% of canvas

Measurements

Lightness

0.38

Contrast

0.38

Vividness

0.034

Warmth

+0.91

Complexity

150 cells

Hue range

0.36

Focus

0.01

Composition

Averaged over 3 works: 51% of the visual weight in the right half, 51% in the lower half; symmetry 0.44; 33% calm space; half of the detail in 28% of the canvas. Measured from each image, not a rule the painters followed.

Works

• A Mayor of Delft and his Daughter, 1655
• The Feast of Saint Nicholas, c. 1665
• The Happy Family, 1668