A Young Woman Seated at a Virginal

Johannes Vermeer painted A Young Woman Seated at a Virginal, depicting a woman at a keyboard instrument in a refined Dutch interior. Soft light illuminates her figure and the blue and yellow tones typical of Vermeer's palette.

Music scenes in Dutch painting often carried romantic associations. The virginal, a type of harpsichord, was considered an appropriate accomplishment for young women. Vermeer's treatment lifts a domestic scene into something timeless.