The Smoker

This 1660 painting of The Smoker depicts a common Dutch genre subject—a figure enjoying tobacco, which was both celebrated and criticized in 17th-century Dutch society. Smoking scenes could symbolize the transience of earthly pleasures or simply document a popular pastime. Steen worked in oil on panel and canvas with a warm, rich palette reflecting his training under Jan van Goyen and his admiration for Gerrit Dou. His workshop output, produced alongside careers as brewer and innkeeper, compr...

The figure study demonstrates Steen's ability to invest a single-figure composition with character and atmosphere, using warm light and relaxed pose to capture the contemplative pleasure of smoking.