Artwork
Little Tambourine Player
Little Tambourine Player is an oil painting by the High Renaissance artist Unknown. It dates from 1510 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created by an anonymous Venetian artist around 1510, the painting focuses entirely on this youthful figure and the musical instrument they carry.
The work depicts a young child holding a tambourine, presenting a simple yet distinct genre scene. Created by an anonymous Venetian artist around 1510, the painting focuses entirely on this youthful figure and the musical instrument they carry. The imagery centers on the child and the tambourine, capturing a moment of play or performance without additional narrative context or symbolic complexity evident in the available records.
The subject matter reflects the Venetian tradition of portraying children with musical attributes, though the specific iconographic meaning beyond the literal depiction remains undefined in the provided sources.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting on canvas created in 1510, depicting a child holding a tambourine. It is attributed to an anonymous Venetian artist and has been part of the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum since its early ownership by Bartolomeo della Nave and Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria.
History & Provenance
Little Tambourine Player is an oil painting on canvas dated to 1510, attributed to an anonymous Venetian artist. Its earliest documented owner was Bartolomeo della Nave, after whom the work passed into the collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria. The painting subsequently entered the holdings of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it remains located.
The provenance chain therefore runs from Bartolomeo della Nave to Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, and from him to the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, where the work is presently held.
The painting is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
It is inventoried as Little Tambourine Player with the accession attributed to the museum’s holdings. Formerly in the collection of Bartolomeo della Nave, it entered the Habsburg collections and was later part of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria’s holdings before transfer to the museum.
Overview
Little Tambourine Player is an oil painting depicting a chubby, barefoot child seated on a ledge, holding a small tambourine. The composition balances warm, pale skin tones against a dark, natural backdrop.
Context
The use of chiaroscuro, a technique popularized during the Renaissance, indicates the artist’s familiarity with traditional European painting methods. The emphasis on capturing light and shadow places the work within a broader tradition of representational art.
Legacy
While specific impact or notable exhibitions are not detailed, the painting’s engagement with chiaroscuro ensures its relevance to discussions on the development and application of this influential artistic technique.
Artist & collection
