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A Musical Party

ca. 1625–26
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
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.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: A Musical Party
  • Artist: Valentin de Boulogne (French, Coulommiers-en-Brie 1591–1632 Rome)
  • Date: ca. 1625–26
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 44 × 57 3/4 in. (111.7 × 146.7 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of The Ahmanson Foundation
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings