A man and a woman seated by a virginal

Metsu, Gabriel (1629-1667)

Item type:

painting

Date of creation:

ca. 1665

Height:

38.4 cm  (15 1/8 in.)

Width:

32.2 cm  (12 11/16 in.)

Technique / Medium:

oil on oak

Description

Metsu's painting underscores the harmony that seems to surround the two figures. No music is being played; in the intimate scene a woman seated at a virginal holds out a sheet of music and the man tips his glass in her direction. The mottos printed on the virginal lid are taken from the biblical book of Psalms. A violin rests on the table on the right.

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Virginal [2257]
Violin [3573]

Musical works

illegible music notation

RIdIM images

Image URLs

image link 1

Bibliographic references

Wieseman, Marjorie E. Vermeer and music: The art of love and leisure (London: National Gallery Company, 2013) 44-45, cat. no. 9. RILM 2013-5919.

RIdIM record id

3554