Jacob Ochtervelt, 'A Woman standing at a Harpsichord, a Man seated by her', probably 1675-80
About the work
Overview
In an elegant interior adorned with a landscape painting on the wall and a classical bust above the door, a man and a woman are making music together. The lady, clad in a luxurious red satin dress with gold embroidery, is standing with her back to us in front of a harpsichord. She looks down at the keyboard, while the singing man sitting opposite gazes adoringly at his love interest. A servant bringing wine appears in the doorway, but only the dog turning its head has noticed the intruder.
Variants of the figure of the standing woman appear in several other works by Ochtervelt and the dress is identical with that in Two Women and a Man making Music, also in the National Gallery’s collection.
The son of a bridge keeper, Ochtervelt grew up in humble circumstances. He specialised in depicting elegant companies in lavish interiors, with which he enjoyed great success.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- A Woman standing at a Harpsichord, a Man seated by her
- Artist
- Jacob Ochtervelt
- Artist dates
- 1634 - 1682
- Date made
- probably 1675-80
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 79.7 × 65.4 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Presented by Henry J. Pfungst, 1907
- Inventory number
- NG2143
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Neil MacLaren, revised and expanded by Christopher Brown, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School: 1600–1900’, London 1991; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1883W. Bode, 'Review of Exhibition', Jahrbuch der Königlich Preussischen Kunstsammlungen, IV, 1883
-
1960Maclaren, Neil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 2 vols, London 1960
-
1991Maclaren, Neil, revised by Christopher Brown, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 1600-1900, 2nd edn (revised and expanded), 2 vols, London 1991
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
Images
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