Judith LeysterDutch, 1609–1660De serenade
May one see it?
Unknown: the museum keeps its counsel
Rijksmuseum
Amsterdam, Netherlands
The owner is known. Whether it is on view today, the museum does not say, and we were not trained to guess.
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the painting
The Serenade is a 1629 oil painting by Judith Leyster in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. It was attributed for centuries to Frans Hals until Wilhelm von Bode saw it in the Six collection in 1883. He noticed the prominent "J" in the signature, and attributed it to Jan Hals. This is one of seven paintings first properly attributed to Leyster by Hofstede de Groot ten years later in 1893.
In the museum's words
Judith Leyster was the first woman to become a master painter in the Netherlands in the 17th century. She received this title in 1633 after being admitted to the Haarlem Guild of St Luke. This high status allowed Leyster to open her own studio in Haarlem and take on pupils. Her talent is on display in the effects of light and dark and her use of colour in this painting of a singing lute player. The bright red of his breeches forms a fine contrast with the greenish background.
Rijksmuseum
Particulars
- Accession number
- SK-A-2326
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Rijksmuseum: the museum's own open data · fetched 6 days ago
- Image: Rijksmuseum — public domain
