Self-portrait of Jan Steen in “The Continence of Scipio” as social commentaryThere is a huge difference between a fool and a jester. Fools are considered carefree, dull-witted and absent-minded people, whose scandalous stupidity amused the rest of the population. These jovial people represented the lowest strata of society: too carefree to advance in society and too stupid to care. Many people believed that Jan Steen, an important and cultured artist of the Dutch Golden Age, was a fool. This is not a far-fetched assumption to make given that in his paintings he took on the appearance of a madman. However, Steen was no fool. Much like the story of the jesters, Jan Steen's unsavory appearances in his own work are often misunderstood and taken at face value. Examining the depictions of Steen's life in his paintings one would completely agree that he is a foolish drunkard who was blessed with the ability to paint. It is interesting, then, to realize that Steen is more of a jester than a madman, especially in his self-portraits. In the Middle Ages the only person who could get away with insulting the king and the royal family was the court jester. Jesters used their wit, silver tongue and superior intellect to insult or comment on the presiding royal family and were often greeted with loud laughter and applause. Steen, much like the jester, used a silly appearance to make social commentary on the world around him. One of the best examples of this is Steen's “The Continence of Scipio” (see Figure 1). A cast of goofy characters replace the traditionally serious and dignified roles of the classic story figures, but none so ridiculous as the narcissistic husband, Aluccius (who looks suspiciously like Stee... center of card...). ry.artstor.org/library/welcome.html#1Steen, Jan (Artist). (1660) The Doctor's Visit [Painting image]. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Museum of Art. Retrieved April 5, 2012, from http://. /library.artstor.org/library/welcome.html#1.Van Dyck, Anthony (Artist) (1620) Continence of Scipio [Painting image]. Retrieved April 13, 2012, from http://library .artstor.org/library/welcome.html#1.Van Rijn, Rembrandt (Artist). (1635) The Prodigal Son in the Tavern (Self-Portrait with Saskia)[Painting image]. Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister 5, 2012, from http://library.artstor.org/library/welcome.html#1.van Rijn, Rembrandt (Artist) (1667) Self-Portrait, Laughing [Image of painting Netherlands; Wallraf-Richartz Museum). . Retrieved April 5, 2012, from http://library.artstor.org/library/welcome.html#1.