Vermeer, Jan (1632-1675)
Girl interrupted at Her Music (Onderbreking van de muziek)
c.1658–1659
Oil on canvas, 39.4 x 44.5 cm
Frick Collection, New York
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.
Source: Art in The Frick Collection: Paintings, Sculpture, Decorative Arts, New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1996. (Frick)