Trompe l'oeil with Violin, Music Book and Recorder

Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts, a Flemish painter active in the latter half of the 17th century, produced this oil on canvas in 1672 while serving as court painter to the Danish monarchy. The work is a trompe‑l’œil still life that presents a violin, a recorder, a music manuscript and a pair of feathers as if they were pinned to a wooden wall, creating a convincing illusion of three‑dimensional objects.

The composition gathers musical paraphernalia, a light‑brown violin with visible strings, a wooden recorder with its finger holes, and a sheet of music bearing black notation, alongside contrasting black and white feathers. By arranging these items on a flat surface, Gijsbrechts invites the viewer to question the boundary between painted representation and real objects, a common theme in illusionistic art.

The work belongs to the Dutch Golden Age, a period when still‑life painting flourished alongside a booming economy and expanding trade networks. Trompe‑l’œil pieces such as this one catered to a sophisticated clientele interested in visual tricks and the display of learned, musical culture.