The Serenade, by Judith Leyster, 1629
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The Serenade

Also titled De serenade

Judith Leyster (Haarlem, 1609–1660)

1629

Medium
panel, oil paint (paint)
Classification
painting
Dimensions
support: height 47 cm x width 34.5 cm
Museum
Rijksmuseum
Credit line
Purchased with the support of the Vereniging Rembrandt
Rights
Public Domain Mark, as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed

View at the Rijksmuseum

About this work

Judith Leyster was the first woman to become a master painter in the Netherlands in the 17th century. She received this title in 1633 after being admitted to the Haarlem Guild of St Luke. This high status allowed Leyster to open her own studio in Haarlem and take on pupils. Her talent is on display in the effects of light and dark and her use of colour in this painting of a singing lute player. The bright red of his breeches forms a fine contrast with the greenish background.