The Feast of Saint Nicholas
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The Feast of Saint Nicholas is an oil-on-canvas painting executed c. 1665–1668 by Dutch master Jan Steen, which is now in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It measures 82 x 70.5 cm. The picture, painted in the chaotic Jan Steen style, depicts a family at home on December 5, the night celebrated in the Netherlands as the Feast of Saint Nicholas, or Sinterklaas.
Detail of the painting with the youngest daughter holding her doll
Two versions exist of Jan Steen's Sinterklaasavond. The best known copy of these (now kept in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam) was made for a Catholic. The girl in the center was given a doll dressed up as a saint. In this version, apparently made for a Protestant, the girl was given a simple round piece of gingerbread. It is the Museum Catharijneconvent in Utrecht.
Sinterklaas
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Sinterklaas or Sint-Nicolaas is a legendary figure based on Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children. Other Dutch names for the figure include De Sint, De Goede Sint and De Goedheiligman. Many descendants and cognates of "Sinterklaas" or "Saint Nicholas" in other languages are also used in the Low Countries, nearby regions, and former Dutch colonies.
Sinterklaas and his companion Zwarte Piet
Sinterklaas played by Bram van der Vlugt
A person in costume as the modernized "Sooty Pete" version of Zwarte Piet
Sinterklaas and his Zwarte Piet helpers arriving by steamboat from Spain