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Notes
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This painting sets out to tease us: we are clearly invited to wonder about the nature of the relationship between the two figures. They sit close and seem deeply comfortable in each other’s presence; there is a hint of embarrassment in the young woman’s reaction to our gaze. She looks up slightly startled. While she meets our eye, she does not seem comfortable with our presence. Schalcken does offer some subtle suggestions as to the nature of their relationship. A painting in the background shows a pair of naked legs. In the foreground, the artist has gone to great trouble to depict the sensuous silk, velvet, fur and lace of the young woman’s coat and dress, and also her glowing cheek, bare arms, neck and cleavage. The pink rose on the table also signals romantic love.
Title
A Woman singing and a Man with a Cittern
Date
about 1665-70
Medium
Oil on oak
Measurements
H 26.6 x W 20.4 cm
Accession number
NG998
Acquisition method
Wynn Ellis Bequest, 1876
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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