Jan Olis, 'A Musical Party', 1633
About the work
Overview
There is no doubting who is the star of this group of musicians. The fair-haired woman in a bright pink dress with gold-trimmed sleeves and elaborate lace collars is clearly the centre of our attention. She is bathed in sunlight which also catches the curves and polished surface of her viola da gamba. The other musicians around the table wear far more muted colours and are mostly cast in shadow.
What we see now is probably only an edited version of the original composition. The figure of a boy removing a flask from a wine cooler was painted out in 1969–70; at the time it was considered to be a later addition, but it is now believed to have been painted by Olis himself. Reinstating the boy would reintroduce a very subtle hint that such innocent gatherings are always vulnerable to the corrupting influence of alcohol.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- A Musical Party
- Artist
- Jan Olis
- Artist dates
- about 1610 - 1676
- Date made
- 1633
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 36.7 × 52.8 cm
- Inscription summary
- Signed; Dated
- Acquisition credit
- Presented by Alfred A. de Pass, 1920
- Inventory number
- NG3548
- 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.
Exhibition history
-
2013Vermeer and Music: The Art of Love and LeisureThe National Gallery (London)26 June 2013 - 8 September 2013
Bibliography
-
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.