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Description
The dreamy gaze of the courtly player combined with the realistic and accurate depiction of the instrument and her mode of playing it, combine to create a feeling of intensity and stillness.
The viola da gamba, or bass viol, is frequently featured in Dutch golden age paintings though less often in the act of being played. In a number of Vermeer’s paintings the instrument is depicted lying on the floor or leaning against a wall. The double curved shape of the instrument in Netscher’s picture are less commonly seen and are similar to those of a surviving instrument of 1600 (Ashmolean Museum) attributed to one of the greatest viol makers, John Rose of Bridewell, London (d.1611).