Explore the musical pastimes of the 17th-century Netherlands through this exhibition combining the art of Vermeer and his contemporaries with rare musical instruments, songbooks and live music.

For the first time the National Gallery’s two paintings by Vermeer, A Young Woman standing at a Virginal and A Young Woman seated at a Virginal are brought together with Vermeer’s Guitar Player, which is currently on exceptional loan from the Iveagh Bequest, Kenwood House.

Three days a week visitors can experience live performances in the exhibition space by the Academy of Ancient Music, bringing the paintings to life with music of the period.

Music was one of the most popular themes in Dutch painting, and carried many diverse associations. In portraits, a musical instrument or songbook might suggest the education or social position of the sitter; in scenes of everyday life, it might act as a metaphor for harmony, or a symbol of transience.

The exhibition displays 17th-century virginals (a type of harpsichord), guitars and lutes alongside the paintings to offer unique insights into the painters’ choice of instruments, and the difference between the real instruments and the way in which the painters chose to represent them.

The show also incorporates music of the era with the Academy of Ancient Music performing every Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the exhibition space. These live performances are designed to enrich your experience of the serene ambiance created in paintings by Vermeer and other masters of the Dutch Golden Age.

The National Gallery
Trafalgar Square
London WC2N 5DN United Kingdom
Ph. +44 (0)20 77472885
information@ng-london.org.uk
www.nationalgallery.org.uk

Opening hours
Daily from 10am to 6pm
Fridays from 10am to 9pm

Related images

  1. Hendrick ter Brugghen (1588 - 1629), The Concert, about 1626, Oil on canvas, 99.1 x 116.8 cm, © The National Gallery, London
  2. Jacob van Velsen (about 1597 - 1656), A Musical Party, 1631, Oil on oak 40 x 55.8 cm © The National Gallery, London
  3. Jan Molenaer (about 1610 - 1668), A Young Man playing a Theorbo and a Young Woman playing a Cittern, probably 1630-2, Oil on canvas 68 x 84 cm © The National Gallery, London
  4. Hendrick ter Brugghen (1588 - 1629), A Man playing a Lute, 1624, Oil on canvas, 100.5 x 78.7 cm, © The National Gallery, London
  5. Gabriel Metsu (1629 - 1667), A Man and a Woman seated by a Virginal, about 1665, Oil on oak, 38.4 x 32.2 cm © The National Gallery, London
  6. Johannes Vermeer (1632 - 1675), The Guitar Player, about 1672, Oil on canvas, 53 x 46.3 cm, On loan from English Heritage, The Iveagh Bequest (Kenwood), © English Heritage