The Musician
The Met
Artist: Bartholomeus van der Helst(Dutch, Haarlem, born ca. 1612–15, died 1670 Amsterdam)
Date: 1662
Department: European Paintings
Classification: Paintings
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 54 1/2 x 43 3/4 in. (138.4 x 111.1 cm)
Credit Line: Purchase, 1873
Visual Descriptions
AI GeneratedVisual Summary
Brief Description
A woman in a blue dress plays a lute, surrounded by a cello, sheet music, and red fabric
Detailed Description
A woman is seated, holding a lute, with other musical instruments and sheet music arranged around her. She is positioned slightly to the left of the center, facing forward with her head turned to her left, gazing towards the left edge of the image. Her light skin contrasts with her dark brown hair, which is partially tied up with a red ribbon. She wears a blue dress with white, ruffled sleeves that fall off her shoulders, exposing her chest and right shoulder. Her left hand is on the neck of the lute, while her right hand rests on its body, near the soundhole. The lute is made of light brown wood with a dark, multi-stringed neck and a decorative rosette on its soundhole.In front of the woman and to her right, a stringed instrument resembling a cello or viola da gamba lies horizontally, angled slightly downwards to the right. Its light brown wooden body has f-holes and a dark fingerboard. A bow rests across its strings. Beneath this instrument, a red velvet fabric with gold tassels is draped over a surface. To the right of the fabric, a stack of papers and sheet music is visible. The top sheet of music has handwritten notes and text, including the word "Me" and other illegible script.The background on the left features a large, dark, urn-shaped object or sculpted element. On the right, a dark sky with hints of orange and yellow light at the horizon transitions into a muted green landscape. The overall lighting is dim, with the woman and instruments illuminated from the left, creating strong contrasts and shadows.
Generated by gemini-2.5-flash
