Fine Art

The Egg Dance — History & Facts

At right, in this brothel, a young man does an egg dance to the music of a bagpiper. While dancing, he had to roll an egg within a chalk circle – without it breaking – and to cover it with a wooden bowl. This ‘pointless’ amusement, along with the dissolute behaviour of the other figures, served as a moral warning against debauchery.

More Artworks by Pieter Aertsen

Still life oil painting by Pieter Aertsen featuring a lavish spread of food on a table

Målning

Pieter Aertsen

The Adoration of the Magi, oil on panel by Pieter Aertsen, depicting the oldest king worshipping the newborn Jesus.

The Adoration of the Magi

Pieter Aertsen

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More Genre Scene Art

A group of Haarlem officers in colorful sashes gathers around a banquet table set with glassware, plates, and a large pie, with a patterned banner behind them.

Banquet of the Officers of the St George Civic Guard

Frans Hals

A man in a feathered hat smiles and raises a glass while holding a woman on his lap, both dressed in elaborate 17th-century clothing with a table of objects nearby.

Rembrandt and Saskia in the Scene of the Prodigal Son

Rembrandt van Rijn

A lively outdoor scene shows couples dancing and groups seated at tables under trees, with figures in flowing dresses and straw hats.

Bal du moulin de la Galette

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

A dancer in a vivid green dress stands with hands on hips facing forward, surrounded by figures in brown, black, and pink clothing with a balcony and loosely sketched background.

Quadrille at the Moulin Rouge

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

A Burial at Ornans

A Burial at Ornans

Gustave Courbet

Two Tahitian women sit against a yellow and blue background; one wears a pale green wrap and red skirt, the other a pink dress with white trim and necklace.

When Will You Marry?

Paul Gauguin

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