A female lutenist, Master of the Female Half-Lengths, from 1500 until 1549

The costume of the sitter and the articulation of the backgrounds vary in all three treatments and in this case the right side is enriched by the inclusion of books, a porcelain jar and a candle in a recess. Their presence, combined with the ointment jar and the musical theme, serve to emphasize the underlying vanitas meaning of the subject - the transience of earthly pleasures and beauty. Object Type: painting. Genre: religious art. Date: from 1500 until 1549. Dimensions: height: 54 cm (21.2 in) ; width: 42 cm (16.5 in). Medium: oil on panel. Master of the Female Half-Lengths - A lady playing a lute in an interior - Christies 2009