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The Musician

1662
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 681

Tuning the strings of her theorbo-lute, a beautiful musician directs an engaging glance at the viewer. The foreground of the picture displays a viola da gamba and sheet music for tenor and soprano voices, suggesting that the lute player anticipates a duet. Dutch painters of the seventeenth century frequently associated music-making and courtship with amateur concerts, providing opportunities for mingling and flirtation.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Musician
  • Artist: Bartholomeus van der Helst (Dutch, Haarlem, born ca. 1612–15, died 1670 Amsterdam)
  • Date: 1662
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 54 1/2 x 43 3/4 in. (138.4 x 111.1 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, 1873
  • Object Number: 73.2
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

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Portrait of a Man, Bartholomeus van der Helst Dutch, Oil on wood
Portrait of a Man
Bartholomeus van der Helst
1647
Merry Company on a Terrace, Jan Steen Dutch, Oil on canvas
Merry Company on a Terrace
Jan Steen
ca. 1670
Self-Portrait, Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) Dutch, Oil on canvas
Self-Portrait
Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)
1660
The Dissolute Household, Jan Steen Dutch, Oil on canvas
The Dissolute Household
Jan Steen
ca. 1663–64
Young Herdsmen with Cows, Aelbert Cuyp Dutch, Oil on canvas
Young Herdsmen with Cows
Aelbert Cuyp
ca. 1655–60

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