楊‧斯汀（Jan Steen, 1626-1679）是以風俗畫著稱的荷蘭畫家，曾師承亞德里安‧范‧歐斯塔德（Adriaen van Ostade, 1610-1685），擅長描繪小民生活中的紛亂室內場景，並以獨特詼諧手法將道德諍諫融入畫中，使作品結合故事性、娛樂性與教誨性。

整幅作品的褐綠色調呼應著鄉村生活的簡樸氛圍。畫右斜坐椅中的律師與畫左恭敬站立的農民夫婦，在姿勢上已說明其尊卑關係。村夫手中的長杖暗示著剛結束的長途跋涉，臂彎夾著脫下的帽子透露出尊敬的態度，而右手的空籠顯示帶來的酬謝已被收受。男子身旁的黑衣婦人挽著籐籃，雙手緊握一枚錢幣，戰兢期盼的望向低頭閱讀文件的律師。在略顯昏暗的室內，從左上方而來的光線讓右下角身穿灰袍、頭戴金線藍帽的律師與其工作領域籠罩在一片清亮當中。寫字檯、羽筆及墨水瓶、紙張文件、桌腳的巨大書本與書櫃等，無不凸顯律師的知識權威。後方的綠色布簾阻絕了所有可能分散觀者注意力的背景細節，讓三位人物得以成為前景聚焦所在。相對之下，左後方半敞的房門讓畫面空間得以延伸，而同時門外較亮的空間也襯托出手抱母雞、步出門外時回眸微笑的助手：他伸指拉下眼瞼、吐舌作著鬼臉，似乎暗示著某些不為人知的祕密。

畫中的母雞、空雞籠、錢幣、與掛在書櫃上的錢袋等，皆是十六世紀以來尼德蘭繪畫與諺語中批評鄉間律師與稅吏詐財收賄的傳統圖像元素。而斯汀在此更透過助手與前景人物嚴肅神色形成詭異對比的揶揄表情，模稜兩可的暗示了律師道貌岸然下的斂財背德，留下了玩味省思的餘韻。(于禮本)

Jan Steen (1626-1679) was a Dutch painter renowned for his paintings of genre scenes. He was an expert in depicting the daily indoor activities of ordinary people and using a humorous approach to incorporate moral lessons into his paintings. His works are a combination of narrative, entertainment and didacticism.

The overall green-brown tone of the painting represents simple country life. On the right is a lawyer sitting crookedly in a chair, while on the left is a peasant couple standing respectfully. Through their positioning we can already see the hierarchy in their relationship. The peasant man holds a long staff signifying the end of a long journey, his arm folded to his front holds a hat and shows an attitude of respect. The empty basket he is holding in his right hand indicates that his gift had been accepted. The black-clad woman next to the man is holding a basket while holding tightly on to a coin with both hands. She gazes in anticipation at the lawyer who is reading the documents. In the dim room, the light shining down from the top-left corner enfolds the lawyer dressed in a gray robe and wearing a gold-threaded hat and his work area in a golden aura. His writing desk, quill, pieces of paper and documents, the large tome at the feet of the desk, and the bookshelf emphasize the knowledge and authority of the lawyer. The green curtain at the back blocks all the background details which might otherwise distract an audience so that the three characters become the focal point in the foreground. In contrast, the half-open door at the back on the left extends the depth of the image. In the slightly brighter space by the door, an assistant is portrayed holding a hen and glancing back with a smile. He is pulling down his lower eyelid and making a face with his tongue sticking out, as if he is hinting at some secret probably best left unrevealed.

The hen, empty basket, coin, and coin purse hanging from the shelf are traditional motifs used in Netherlandish paintings and proverbs to criticize the bribery and corruption of country lawyers and tax collectors. Steen went one step further to create a satirical contrast through the mocking expression of the assistant and the somber expressions of the characters in the foreground. This hints that beneath the serious facade of the lawyer he is corrupt and immoral, giving the audience something to reflect upon. (Li Pen YU)