A young lady holding a lute with a music score on her lap in a candlelit interior

A Young Lady Holding a Lute by Candlelight from 1631 by Judith Leyster combines the musical genre with the candlelight effect pioneered by the Utrecht Caravaggists. The intimate, candlelit scene created an atmosphere of private music-making that was both sensual and contemplative. 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 dou...

The candlelight creates dramatic chiaroscuro that sculpts the figure from surrounding darkness, rendered with Leyster's characteristic bold brushwork and confident handling of light effects.