Young Woman Playing a Clavichord
Artistworkshop of
Jan van Hemessen
(Netherlandish, about 1500–about 1575)
Dateabout 1530
Mediumoil on panel
Dimensionspanel: 67.2 x 55.2 cm (26 7/16 x 21 3/4 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1920.88
DescriptionA young girl in a red velvet overdress trimmed in fur is seated at an opened clavichord. The white fabric of her underdress is visible beneath the instrument and at her wrists. She is wearing a black headdress and gold necklaces with a pendant. The clavichord is resting on a small wooden table and is depicted in such detail that it can be seen the young woman is playing a Bb minor chord. In the background is a detailed gold urn on a table and two stoppered glass jars inside a cabinet. There are floral and figural etchings on the stone fireplace above her left shoulder.Label TextDepictions of young women engaged in cultured activities were common in northern European painting around 1520–50. Here, the clavichord is meticulously represented, indicating that the artist closely studied an actual musical instrument in creating the work.ProvenanceMolinari, Milan, until 1885; to Spanish Collection; to Charles Leon Cardon, Brussels; (to Max Rothschild, London); to the Worcester Art Museum, 1920.
On View
On view
