- Artist
- Gabriël Metsu
- Year
- 1659
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 24 1/2 x 21 3/8 in. (62.2 x 54.3 cm)
A young woman at a table turns a page of music while a companion leans in to sing, the moment of rehearsal made luminous. Gabriël Metsu was among the most refined painters of Amsterdam in the 1650s, and this 1659 canvas shows his gift for quiet incident: a viola da gamba waits on a chair, a servant carries a tray through the shadows, and the sitters’ velvet and lace are painted with a finish that rivals Vermeer. It is domestic music-making raised to the level of high art.