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Musical Scene
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The Utrecht artist Gerrit van Honthorst was internationally known as a portrait painter, but he also gained a reputation as a painter of raucous musical scenes and parties. This drawing was once part of an album of compositional types that the artist showed to prospective patrons. Though the cheerful theme of a man and a woman sharing a song seems innocent, such unions often had amorous or lascivious connotations in 17th-century Holland.
| Artist / Maker | Gerrit van Honthorst |
|---|---|
| Date | 1625–55 |
| Culture / Origin | Netherlands |
| Medium | black ink wash over pen and brown ink and black chalk over graphite on gray-brown paper with white heightening, incised |
| Dimensions | Support: 23.3 x 26.8 x 0.3 cm (9 3/16 x 10 9/16 x 1/8 in.); Image: 17.3 x 20.2 cm (6 13/16 x 7 15/16 in.) |
| Department | Drawings |
| Type | Drawing |
About the Artist
Gerrit van Honthorst (Dutch, 1590–1656) Full biography →
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
A detailed condition report and high-resolution photography are available from our specialists in advance of the sale.
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