In his formative years in leiden and then in amsterdam, jan lievensz, like his friend and colleague rembrandt, was influenced by the exuberant and boldly dramatic close-up paintings of tavern scenes by utrecht painters such as jan van bylert, whose "merry company" is also in the walters' collection. Single figures of swaggering musicians spotlighted in a dramatic fashion were one of the favorite subjects of this school. In this early work, lievensz responds to this development but interprets the mood of his musician as contemplative and introspective. The delicacy of his handling of light and color, in contrast to the brasher exuberance of van bylert's "girl teasing a cat" (walters 37. 2659), contributes to this mood. Object Type: painting. Genre: portrait. Date: circa 1629 (Baroque). Place of creation: Amsterdam, Netherlands (?). Dimensions: height: 92.7 cm (36.4 in) ; width: 78.3 cm (30.8 in). Medium: oil on panel. Collection: Walters Art Museum. Jan Lievensz - Lute Player - Walters 372493
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