From brewing he descended to keeping a tavern, "in which occupation," to quote Ireland, "he was himself his best customer".

After a while, having exhausted his cellar, he took seriously to painting in order to renew it, paying for his liquor with his brush.

Thus "for a long time his works were to be found only in the hands of dealers in wine".

Who, after this, shall have the hardihood to speak evil of the grape?
Jan is not supposed to have lived at Leyden after his marriage to Margaretta van Goyen, in 1649, until 1669, when his father died.

In 1672 he is known to have taken a tavern at Leyden at the Lange Brug.
Of the intervening years little is known.