The Duet

1635 · Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Vienna

genre

Two gentlemen, with a violin and a zither, make music in a room in which other musical instruments are also to be seen. Next to the violinist stands a viola da gamba; a lute and a flute lie on the table. Saftleven also painted various attributes of the artist: a palette and brush lie on the floor, pieces of paper are scattered around and a plaster cast of a nude muscleman stands on the table.

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About the Artist

Cornelis Saftleven

1607 – 1681

Herman III Saftleven (1609-1685) and Cornelis Saftleven (1607-1681), Dutch painters, brothers. The best-known members of the family of artists is Cornelis, who was influenced by Brouwer and Teniers, painted genre scenes of peasants and satirical pictures of animals dressed and acting like theologians and jurists. He also did landscapes with sheep and cattle grazing. Herman travelled in Germany and is best known for his highly finished panoramic views of the Moselle and Rhine rivers, done in a distinctive misty blue tonality.

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