Artwork
A Musical Party by Candlelight
A Musical Party by Candlelight is an oil painting by the Biedermeier artist Michiel Versteegh. It dates from 1803 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
A Musical Party by Candlelight is executed in oil paint on panel, a support typical of Dutch cabinet pictures of the period.
A Musical Party by Candlelight is executed in oil paint on panel, a support typical of Dutch cabinet pictures of the period. The work measures 90 cm in height by 75 cm in width. Its genre classification as genre art situates it within the tradition of intimate interior scenes, and the candlelit subject indicates a likely emphasis on tonal contrasts and warm, localized illumination characteristic of such nocturnal gatherings.
The painting dates to 1803 and is held by the Rijksmuseum, with provenance linked to the collection of Adriaan van der Hoop.
History & Provenance
Michiel Versteegh created the oil-on-panel painting A Musical Party by Candlelight in 1803. The work was originally owned by Adriaan van der Hoop, a prominent collector whose holdings formed the core of the Amsterdam Museum's collection. Following van der Hoop's death, the painting entered the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it remains part of the permanent collection today.
The piece measures 90 cm in height and 75 cm in width, reflecting the scale typical of Dutch genre scenes from the early 19th century. Its provenance is directly linked to the van der Hoop bequest, which significantly shaped the museum's holdings of Dutch Golden Age and later genre works.
A Musical Party by Candlelight is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The work forms part of the Adriaan van der Hoop collection, which is housed within the museum's holdings. While the painting is physically located at the Rijksmuseum, its administrative or historical association is linked to the Amsterdam Museum context regarding this specific collection.
The provided sources do not list a specific inventory or accession number for the work, nor do they detail any exhibition history.
Overview
A Musical Party by Candlelight is an oil painting created by Michiel Versteegh in 1803. It is a genre scene currently held at the Rijksmuseum.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a serene domestic scene where a man plays the violin while a woman accompanies him by reading from a music book. Three children and a dog are seated around them, fully engaged in the music.
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Artist & collection
