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Johannes Vermeer, 'A Young Woman standing at a Virginal', about 1670-2

About the work

Overview

The young woman at the keyboard holds our eye with a direct gaze. The empty chair suggests she is expecting someone and the large painting of a naked Cupid, the god of erotic love, on the wall behind her may be a signal that she is waiting for her lover. Scenes of music making were a popular genre in seventeenth-century Holland. They were often associated with romantic encounters, sometimes obviously bawdy ones, sometimes apparently innocent. Here, the style of the Cupid painting derives from a book illustration on the theme of faithful love.

There has been much speculation that this picture and another by Vermeer, A Young Woman Seated at a Virginal (also in the National Gallery), might have been made as a pair. There are many similarities between the two, but also an apparent contrast. One may represent fidelity, the other a venal, mercenary approach to love.

Key facts

Details

Full title
A Young Woman standing at a Virginal
Artist dates
1632 - 1675
Date made
about 1670-2
Medium and support
oil on canvas
Dimensions
51.7 × 45.2 cm
Inscription summary
Signed
Acquisition credit
Bought, 1892
Inventory number
NG1383
Location
Room 16
Collection
Main Collection
Frame
17th-century Dutch Frame

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.

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