A Man playing a Lute

The nose is the first thing to notice. The National Gallery thinks ter Brugghen made it this shiny red on purpose, perhaps as a joke, suggesting the singer had had a few glasses of wine. In Utrecht in the 1620s, single musicians painted half-length and close up were a speciality of a small group of local painters, and ter Brugghen was one of them. He signed and dated this one 1624, up in the grey background. That same year an engraving was made after another of his singing lutenists, with a verse underneath. I play expertly on the sweet full strings of the lute, it runs, and so I can sing lustily and know that it sounds good. The plumed beret and big white sleeves are nothing like everyday Dutch dress and may come from the stage. The feather is set down in short, broad strokes.