Girl Interrupted at Her Music

Johan Vermeer

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Keywords: GirlInterruptedMusic

Work Overview

Girl Interrupted at Her Music
Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675)
Date:ca. 1658–59
Medium:Oil on canvas
Dimensions:15 1/2 x 17 1/2 in. (39.4 x 44.5 cm)


Music-making, a recurring subject in Vermeer’s interior scenes, was associated in the seventeenth century with courtship. In this painting of a duet or music lesson momentarily interrupted, the amorous theme is reinforced by the picture of Cupid with raised left arm dimly visible in the background; the motif is derived from a popular book on emblems of love published in 1608 and symbolizes fidelity to a single lover.