Page:Hofstede de Groot catalogue raisonné, Volume 1, 1908.djvu/542

 518 PIETER DE HOOCH SECT. 154. A Lady playing the Harpsichord. In a room a comely young lady plays the harpsichord ; a gentleman behind her appears to listen and watches two dogs dancing in the foreground. There are other musical instruments and accessories. Canvas. Sale. Amsterdam, June 16, 1828, No. 40 (42 florins, Gruyter). 155. The Music-Party. In an interior ladies and gentlemen are at music. In the foreground, to the left, a richly dressed lady plays a 'cello ; a lady at her side accompanies her on the harpsichord. Near the middle of the picture a gentleman, seated before a table covered with a Smyrna carpet, plays a violin. Behind him is a servant-girl with a plate of fruit. Two cavaliers enter from the door on the right. Canvas, 32 inches by 41 1 inches. Sale. Comte F. de Robiano, Brussels, May I, 1837, No. 283 (560 florins). 156. The Flute-Player. In an interior, behind a table covered with a cloth, sits a cavalier playing the flute. Beside him stands a lady with a glass in her hand. A window looks into two rooms ; in one is a lady who appears to be watching the couple in the front room. Canvas, 19 inches by 18 inches. Sales. J. van der Putte, Amsterdam, May 22, 1810, No. 34 (101 florins, Yperen). Comte F. de Robiano, Brussels, May i, 1837, No. 284 (850 francs). 157. The Music-Party. Sm. 63 ; Suppl. 27. In a well-furnished room a group of two ladies and two gentlemen are assembled at a table beside a fireplace. One of the ladies, dressed in a red jacket and a white silk skirt, sits facing the spectator with a music-book on her lap, beating time with her right hand. Behind her stands a gentleman in black, play- ing a violin. On the other side of the table a lady with a guitar and a gentleman with a flute, sitting beside the fire, accompany the violinist. A 'cello stands against a chair. On the other side of the room are an oak wardrobe and a chair. The room is in twilight, but an adjacent passage or anteroom is illumined by sunshine. In this passage is a woman with a child in her arms and a little girl standing beside her. " Although there is less effulgence of light in this capital picture than in some of the artist's more attractive works, it is amply compensated by the enchanting half-tones and reflexes, accompanied by brilliant transparency and masterly execution, rendering it, as a whole, an example of the highest interest to the artist and amateur " (Sm.). Canvas, about 42 inches by 56 inches. In the collection of Lord Wharncliffe in 1833. Afterwards purchased from him by Sm. In the collection of W. Theobald in 1842. Sale. W. Theobald, London, May 10, 1851 (115 : ios.). 158. The Duet. Sm. Suppl. 9. In a room a gentleman, wearing a blue costume with a yellow sash, is seated opposite a lady in white silk, who holds a guitar. He points to a 'cello as if he invited the lady to join