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A Young Man playing a Theorbo and a Young Woman playing a Cittern

Jan Miense Molenaer (c.1610–1668)

The National Gallery, London

A Young Man playing a Theorbo and a Young Woman playing a Cittern

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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A happy young couple make music in an elegant panelled room with costly furniture. An open door, marble columns on either side, reveals a glimpse of a room beyond, where a fine gauze curtain hangs at a window. The young man sits at his ease, his long fingers plucking the strings of the theorbo – an ancient instrument, now rarely played. The young woman plays the cittern, an instrument that’s easier to master.

Molenaer displays his great skills in painting the many rich textures. He also sets puzzles, putting in objects that could be, and often were, read as symbols in his time. The red stocking and discarded shoe could mean virtue thrown away and suggest a clandestine meeting. But the dog may stand for fidelity and the closed jug for the virtue of the young woman, suggesting that the music they play is a song of true love.

The National Gallery, London

London

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Title

A Young Man playing a Theorbo and a Young Woman playing a Cittern

Date

probably 1630-2

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 68 x W 84 cm

Accession number

NG1293

Acquisition method

Bought (Clarke Fund), 1889

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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Artist or maker

Jan Miense Molenaer

c.1610–1668

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