Jan Joseph Horemans I

Musical Company

Antwerp 1682 - 1759 Antwerp

Canvas, 39 x 32.5 cm
Hoogsteder & Hoogsteder, The Hague

The composition of this interior is based on the Greek cross pattern (X) dissected by a horizontal line. Below this line is the scene of figures drinking and making musjc. Above it, the round pewter plates echo the figures’ heads and lead into the upper section of the painting. Below left, with the dog, a diagonal line stretches from the man’s violin to the bird cage. Ingeniously, this same cage forms the top of a triangle with the three central figures in this genre piece forming the base line.

Horemans devoted particular attention to the rendering of texture. Each object, the woman’s dress, next to her the firepan, the dog, the candle on the wall, right – every detail is carefully depicted. Even the different qualities of these objects are successfully portrayed. The iron of the bird cage is hard and cold, the cage appears heavy; the stone slabs of the floor are uneven and the straw on the ground is mangled and depicted in shadow. The kitchenware shines with countless highlights.