Page:Hofstede de Groot catalogue raisonné, Volume 1, 1908.djvu/138

 u 4 JAN STEEN SECT. silk skirt, who sits with her back to the spectator and plays the harpsichord. Her attention, as well as that of a man sitting beside the instrument, is directed to a jovial fellow who has come in and who puts his arm round the neck of a young girl who is pouring out wine into a glass. On the wall hangs a picture of Venus and a satyr. Panel, 35 inches by 30^ inches. Acquired by J. Woodin in Amsterdam, 1838 (Sm., 1842). 437. The Woman playing the Lute. Sm. 172; W. 155. A young woman with a blue bodice and a yellow jacket trimmed with grey sits on a low wall playing the lute. A jovial man who sits on the other side of the wall, holding a glass and a pipe, is delighted with the music. Farther to the back a couple are saluting. Signed in the right-hand bottom corner; canvas, 17 inches by 2oi inches. In the collection of the Comte de Turenne, Paris, in 1842 (Sm.). Sale. Comte de Turenne, Paris, May 17, 1852, No. 91 (1800 francs, Nieuwenhuys). 438. The Musicians. Sm. Suppl. 108 ; W. 137. On a balcony in front of the door of a house two women are listening to two musicians. One woman, dressed in a red jacket trimmed with white fur and a scarlet skirt, stands with her back to the spectator ; the other is seated facing him. A child, sitting on the doorstep, plays a tambourine. One of the musicians on the left has a pair of bagpipes, the other has a flute. Several peasants have come to listen. In the background are trees and houses. It is " painted in the artist's finished manner " (Sm.). It is full of humour in the rendering of the musicians, spirited in execution, and transparent in colour an excellent work. Signed in full and dated 1659 ; panel, 19 inches by 13! inches. Described by Waagen (ii. 253). Sale. Marquess of Camden, London, 1841 (.494 : 5s., Nieuwenhuys). In the collection of Charles Heusch, London, 1842 (Sm.) and 1854 (Waagen). 439. A Merry Party in the Open Air. In the centre a young man in black plays the fiddle and looks at an old man, with a large basket on his back and an iron-handled stick under his arm, who sings from a music- book which he holds in his left hand. A girl with a bowl sits on the ground near him ; beside her is a black poodle. Opposite the old man are two boys : one leans on a pail and listens with open mouth ; the other with folded arms looks at the singer. On the ground is seated a woman with a child in her arms. To the left is a house surrounded by small trees ; to the right is a vista. This is one of the finest works of the artist. The humour and expression are admirable. The warm evening light is rendered with sound technical skill. The picture is excellently preserved. Canvas, 36 inches by 60 inches (about). Exhibited at Manchester, 1857, No. 933. Described by Waagen (Suppl. 428) as in the collection of Thomas Stani- forth, Storrs, in 1857.