Jan Steen, The Merry Family, 1668 In this painting from the Dutch golden age, a happy family enjoys a boisterous song while seated around the dining table. Despite its carefree appearance, the painting was intended to teach a moral lesson. The children are shown drinking wine and smoking, bad habits they have learned from their parents. The inscription hanging over the mantelpiece (upper right) spells out the message clearly: “As the Old Sing, so Pipe the Young.”
(Oil on canvas/Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands/Album/Art Resource, NY)