“Step into a wildly imaginative world where cats, birds, and monkeys form a chaotic orchestra. This painting is a delightful and detailed peek into 17th-century animal antics, full of humor and expressive creatures.”
This painting, "Concert of Cats," plunges us into a chaotic yet comical animal world. In a dimly lit interior, a raucous orchestra of felines, birds, and even a monkey, creates a cacophony of sound. The central cat, with wide eyes and bared teeth, seems to lead the charge, its paws flailing at an unseen instrument. Surrounding it, other creatures join in the fray, some with instruments, others simply adding to the general pandemonium. This lively scene reflects a fascination with the natural world, a common theme in Flemish painting of the 17th century, where artists often explored the behaviors and characteristics of animals, sometimes with a touch of allegorical humor. The detailed rendering of each animal, from the texture of their fur to their expressive faces, invites close inspection, revealing the artist's keen observation and skill.
- Artist
- Jan van Kessel the Elder
- Date
- 1650
What to Notice
Five details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

The wide-eyed cat in the center, seemingly conducting the chaos.
The bird perched on the sheet music, adding its own squawk.
The monkey in the background, contributing to the feline symphony.
The variety of instruments, from a lute to a makeshift drum.
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Jan van Kessel the Elder
1626–1679 · Habsburg NetherlandsJan van Kessel the Elder, a Flemish painter and great-grandson of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, meticulously captured the natural world, from insects to allegorical continents.
Further Works by van Kessel the Elder
Bouquet of flowers in a glass vase
1659 · Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum
Floral Still Life
1633 · Museo del Prado
Allegory of air and water
1650 · Musée des Beaux-Arts de Quimper
A sculpted cartouche with floral still life, with the christ child as salvator mundi
1650 · SØR Rusche Collection
Lying otter on a rocky shore
1650
Poultry and birds with a view of Brussels
1650
The Triumph of Amphitrite
1650 · Musée des Beaux-Arts de Quimper
30 butterflies
1651 · Musées Nationaux Récupération
More works to explore
Beyond van Kessel the Elder: works from the same years.
Same era · 1630s–1660s
Officer and Laughing Girl
Johannes Vermeer · 1658 · The Frick Collection
Same era · 1630s–1660s
Frans Hals (1582/83–1666)
Frans Hals · 1650 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1630s–1660s
Hendrickje Stoffels (1626–1663)
Rembrandt · 1650 · Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1630s–1660s
The Wedding of Peleus and Thetis
Peter Paul Rubens · 1636 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1630s–1660s
A lady holding a crucifix
Willem van der Vliet · 1650
Same era · 1630s–1660s
Portrait of Elisabeth Dorothea of Saxony-Gotha-Altenburg
Salomon Duarte · 1650 · Bavarian State Painting Collections
Same era · 1630s–1660s
The Denial of Saint Peter
Georges de La Tour · 1650 · Nantes Museum of Arts
Same era · 1630s–1660s
Saint Romanus of Antioch and Saint Barulas
Master of the View of Saint Gudula · 1638 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1630s–1660s
Resurrection of Christ
Samuel van Hoogstraten · 1665 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1630s–1660s
Two Deformed Heads with Very Long Upper Lips
Leonardo da Vinci · 1645 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1630s–1660s
Portrait of Edouard Molé
Robert Nanteuil · 1653 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1630s–1660s
Abraham and Isaac
Rembrandt van Rijn · 1645 · Art Institute of Chicago
