The Bean King

This is Twelfth Night in 17th-century Flanders, the close of the Christmas season. A cake was baked with a single bean hidden inside, and whoever found the bean in his slice was crowned king for the evening. His one duty was to drink, and every time he raised his glass the whole table had to shout 'The king drinks!' and empty theirs too. Jordaens painted the custom more than once. Here the old king sits flushed at the centre while the household roars around him, a child being sick, a man wiping a baby, faces shining with drink. Up in the background a Latin motto warns that nothing looks more like a madman than a drunk, so the whole happy riot carries a small sting of reproach.