A Musical Party

1659
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 614

Musical performance was a common pastime among the well-to-do and had strong associations with courtship in the Dutch Republic. Here, a richly dressed woman passes a songbook to the dandy behind her while maintaining a nonchalant grasp on the neck of her lute. Another beribboned gentleman tunes a viol, his sword cast off to the side, and a maid pauses in the doorway at the back with a tray of refreshments. For seventeenth-century viewers, symbolic elements such as the foot warmer would have indicated an atmosphere of indulgence and temptation.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: A Musical Party
  • Artist: Gabriël Metsu (Dutch, Leiden 1629–1667 Amsterdam)
  • Date: 1659
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 24 1/2 x 21 3/8 in. (62.2 x 54.3 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Marquand Collection, Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1890
  • Object Number: 91.26.11
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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