Lute player

Lute Player from 1629 by Leyster is one of her earliest known works, already showing the musical subjects and lively characterization that would define her career. The painting reflects the influence of Frans Hals's animated portrait style on the young artist. Leyster's musical subjects connect to the allegorical tradition of sound as one of the five senses, animated by her characteristic warm candlelight and direct informal characterization. Her musical figures often double as images of yout...

The musician is rendered with the bold, direct brushwork that Leyster developed under Hals's influence, the instrument and features painted with confident naturalistic observation.