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A Musical Party
Valentin de Boulogne French
Not on view
The carefully distinguished ages and various activities of the four men suggest that this picture is not a mere concert but an allegory of the four ages of man. The gypsy woman beats the tempo to the passing of time on her tambourine. Engagement and disengagement are much in play and must have inspired thoughtful analysis and discussion. Valentin’s compatriot Nicolas Poussin treated this theme as a classical allegory—literally a dance of the Hours to the music of Father Time. Valentin instead makes the poetic allusion, personifying each of life’s phases, within the genre of a concert scene.
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