Children Teaching a Cat to Dance
| Children Teaching a Cat to Dance, Known as ‘The Dancing Lesson’ | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Jan Steen |
| Year | c.1660–1679 |
| Medium | oil paint, panel |
| Dimensions | 68.5 cm (27.0 in) × 59 cm (23 in) |
| Location | Rijksmuseum, Netherlands |
| Owner | Jacobus Salomon Hendrik van de Poll |
| Accession No. | SK-A-718 |
| Identifiers | RKDimages ID: 6390 Bildindex der Kunst und Architektur ID: 20186081 |
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.
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.