Narrator: Dressed in gold and blue, Sarah joins hands with Tobias. The story of their marriage comes from the Hebrew Bible. But Dutch 17th century artist Jan Steen sets it in a prosperous Dutch household of his own time.  

Interestingly, many things in the scene come from outside the Dutch Republic - like the sunflowers above Sarah’s head, imported from the Americas. Curator Isabella Lores-Chavez:

Isabella Lores-Chavez: And then at the right we see a little boy picking oranges out of a porcelain bowl. These came from the Mediterranean, and the porcelain bowl is typical of the sorts of porcelain dishes that were imported in huge quantities from China and Japan.

Narrator: Beneath the bowl is a chintz textile from India. And the central table is covered with a precious Turkish carpet.

Isabella Lores-Chavez: These imported goods are really a way for elites in the Dutch Republic to distinguish themselves as refined collectors and consumers of the riches of other nations that they have access to because of the extremely successful trade relations that the Dutch have established by this point.

Another way that Steen really turns this biblical story into a contemporary story is the figure of the notary who is drafting the marriage contract for the parents to review.

Narrator: That’s the man with the tall black hat – actually the artist’s self portrait. Steen also introduces typically 17th century moral meaning. The dog represents fidelity. And the hanging birdcage?

Isabella Lores-Chavez: - This is a typical Dutch symbol of marriage, a caged bird to symbolize a woman who is in the virtuous bounds of marriage.

Narrator: The painting’s sense of realism had a profound effect on Edward Smalarz, a museum security guard and an artist.

Smalarz: The little purple pillow there - I was immediately drawn to that and then my eye was just drawn down to the dog. It's kind of just enough light on it so you can see it, but the shadows make this beautiful glaze in the little eyes with the opaque dots. It got me inspired too, as well – to go home and compose my first real painting from observation, real life.