Cavaliers and Ladies — Pieter Codde

Pieter Codde. Painted 1633.

Why is this company so merry? This painting depicts several of life’s pleasures. On the left, a singing woman plays the lute. The objects on the table and the pearl earring belonging to the woman in the middle both allude to luxury. The toiletries on the table, including a mirror, likely allude to vanity. The bed and the two gentlemen entering with a hare and a partridge are a nod to another kind of pleasure: ‘chasing the hare’ and ‘birding’ were euphemisms for making love.

From the collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Currently on display in Painting, Main building, 17th Century.

panel, oil paint (paint) · Original size: 68.4 × 54.2 cm · Purchased with the support of the Vereniging Rembrandt and the Rijksmuseum-Stichting

Print: 68.4 × 54.2 cm, printed on Hahnemühle FineArt archival cotton paper. Museum-grade reproduction quality, true to the colours and detail of the original work.

Frame (optional): a custom-made wooden frame in a matte black finish, cut to the exact dimensions of this print, with an off-white passe-partout mat and protective glazing. Ready to hang.

Source: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200109188. Image released under CC0 by the Rijksmuseum.