Artwork
A Female Guitar Player and a Flute Player
A Female Guitar Player and a Flute Player is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Gerard ter Borch. It dates from 1659 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
These elements symbolize harmony and the social role of music among the Dutch elite in the 17th century, reflecting ideals of virtue and domestic refinement.
The painting presents a woman holding a guitar while another figure plays a flute, suggesting a musical dialogue between the two women. The inclusion of sheet music and a theorbo emphasizes the setting as a cultured, domestic interior where refined arts are performed. These elements symbolize harmony and the social role of music among the Dutch elite in the 17th century, reflecting ideals of virtue and domestic refinement.
Technique & Style
The painting is executed in oil on canvas, a medium characteristic of Gerard ter Borch’s genre scenes. Its small scale and refined execution align with the artist’s intimate, meticulously observed interiors. The composition is organized around two figures engaged in music-making, with the female guitarist positioned at left and the flute player at right, their poses and attire rendered with smooth, controlled brushwork.
Light and texture are handled with precision, particularly in the rendering of satin and lace, which contribute to the work’s polished finish. The palette is subdued yet luminous, emphasizing delicate transitions in tone rather than bold contrasts, reflecting ter Borch’s mastery of tonal harmony.
History & Provenance
The painting entered the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst (Copenhagen) as part of the museum’s holdings, where it remains today. Technical records at the museum list the work as by Gerard ter Borch, oil on canvas, with dimensions of 483 cm in height and 428 cm in width. The canvas depicts a woman holding sheet music alongside a theorbo, consistent with the artist’s genre scenes of domestic music-making in the mid-seventeenth century.
The work’s early commissioning and ownership history prior to its museum accession are not documented in the cited sources.
A Female Guitar Player and a Flute Player is housed in the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst, registered under inventory number 00847. The work has been featured in exhibitions focused on Dutch Golden Age painting and thematic shows on musical subjects at the museum.
Overview
Gerard ter Borch, a Dutch painter of the mid‑17th century, produced the oil work A Female Guitar Player and a Flute Player around 1659. The canvas presents a quiet interior scene in which two women are occupied with music, accompanied by a small dog. The painting belongs to the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen.
Context
Ter Borch’s intimate genre scenes, characterized by psychological nuance and domestic detail, were influential among his contemporaries, notably Johannes Vermeer. This work exemplifies the artist’s interest in everyday moments rendered with refined observation, contributing to the broader Dutch Golden Age tradition of portraying private life with quiet dignity.
Artist & collection
Artist
Gerard ter Borch (Dutch:; December 1617 – 8 December 1681), also known as Gerard Terburg (Dutch: ), was a Dutch Golden Age painter mainly of genre subjects.
