Louis Le NainBelgian, 1851–1936The Flageolet Player
Can I see it?
Yes, on view now
Where is “The Flageolet Player” now? Victoria and Albert Museum, Paintings, Room 81, The Edwin and Susan Davies Galleries, London. Yes, on view now. Checked September 25, 2026.
London, United Kingdom
RoomPaintings, Room 81, The Edwin and Susan Davies Galleries
Open now· until 5:45 PM
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
Louis Le Nain (ca. 1600-24 May 1648) was born in Laon and was taught there by a foreign artist, possibly Claude Vignon. He moved to Paris before 1629 with his brother Antoine (ca. 1600-26 May 1648) and Mathieu (ca. 1607- 26 April 1677) with whom he had always worked, settling in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. As they worked together, the attribution of their paintings is still problematic. They ran an important studio in Paris and enjoyed a great success as portrait and genres painters.
Read on
This painting is a fine example of the Le Nain's production of austere genre paintings. It shows a family of three people in an outdoor space, before a 17th century lime-kiln. This composition focuses on labour and pleasure, the old man holds a jug of wine, the young boy is playing the flageolet while the woman is showed with a spindle. The Le Nain were responsible for the introduction of genre paintings in France during the first half of the 17th century but their individual manners are almost indistinguishable and far from easy to determine. The attribution of the present painting oscillates therefore between Louis and Matthieu.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- CAI.18
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
