Pair Making Music 1650 - 1710

Cornelis de Man painted this scene of music-making with oil on canvas during the Dutch Golden Age. De Man’s choice of materials, and the slow, layered process of oil painting itself, lends the scene a certain formality. This is not a quick sketch, but a carefully composed tableau. Look closely and you’ll see the contrast between the soft textures of the fabrics and the hard surfaces of the musical instruments. The smooth finish of the harpsichord, for instance, would have required meticulous sanding and polishing by skilled artisans. This attention to detail speaks to the rising merchant class of the time, eager to display their wealth and taste. It’s a scene of domestic harmony, but also a subtle reminder of the labor and materials that made such a lifestyle possible. By focusing on the materiality of the painting, and the processes involved in its creation, we gain a deeper appreciation of the social context in which it was produced.