A Musical Party

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

How you can use this image

This image can be used for non-commercial research or private study purposes, and other UK exceptions to copyright permitted to users based in the United Kingdom under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised. Any other type of use will need to be cleared with the rights holder(s).

Review the copyright credit lines that are located underneath the image, as these indicate who manages the copyright (©) within the artwork, and the photographic rights within the image.

The collection that owns the artwork may have more information on their own website about permitted uses and image licensing options.

Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.

Buy a print or image licence

You can purchase this reproduction

If you have any products in your basket we recommend that you complete your purchase from Art UK before you leave our site to avoid losing your purchases.

Notes

Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.

Paintings of Merry Companies (a group of people playing music together or otherwise entertaining themselves in a domestic setting) were very popular in Holland in the early 1630s. This is a particularly distinctive example: a shaft of bright sunlight gives the composition a clear structure and brings sharpness and life to the details depicted. The artist has also restricted himself to just two key colours -- luminous yellows and vibrant pinks -- which glow and shimmer against the cool, shadowy greys of the background.But while the composition has been carefully structured and coloured, the meaning of the painting is much less clear. It seems a straightforward evocation of a happy company enjoying making music. But it is possible that, while clearly celebrating the pleasures of life, van Velsen also intended to present a subtle warning that alcohol, smoking and sexual temptation all had the power to undermine domestic harmony.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

A Musical Party

Date

1631

Medium

Oil on oak

Measurements

H 40 x W 55.8 cm

Accession number

NG2575

Acquisition method

Salting Bequest, 1910

Work type

Painting

Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

View venue