A Young Woman seated at a Virginal

Vermeer's A Young Woman Seated at a Virginal, in the National Gallery London, is one of his final paintings from around 1670-72 and forms a probable pair with the Standing at a Virginal in the same collection. The painting's darker palette and slightly harder technique reflect Vermeer's late style, while the viola da gamba in the foreground and the painting of a procuress on the wall add layers of symbolic meaning about music, love, and temptation. The painting's intimate scale invites close viewing.

The late technique shows cooler tones and more precise edges than Vermeer's middle-period works. The carefully rendered viola da gamba in the foreground creates a spatial barrier between viewer and subject, while the light from the unseen window models the figure with Vermeer's characteristic subtlety.