● On view now — 215 French, German, and Dutch
Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · verified August 2026
FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S CATALOG
Despite the calm demeanor and elegant disposition of the figures, this interior scene probably represents the interior of a brothel, signaled by the row of female portraits in the background, rarely found in other paintings of this period. The depiction of music provides another clue to the subject. The recorder and violin, played without scores, were perceived as cruder instrumentation and associated with prostitution, versus the elegant and complicated musicmaking seen in the work by Pieter de Hooch in the museum's collection.
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Pieter de Hooch (Dutch, 1629–1684) — Portrait of a Family Pl
Pieter Codde — Galant gezelschap
Pieter de Hooch — Het aanreiken van een brief in het voorhui
Johannes Vermeer — A Young Woman seated at a Virginal
Gerard ter Borch — The Card Players
Johannes Vermeer — De liefdesbrief
Jacob Ochtervelt — The players
Pieter de Hooch — Leisure Time in an Elegant Setting
Pieter de Hooch — The Greeting
Jan Verkolje (I) — A Musical Company
Johannes Vermeer — Woman with a Pearl Necklace
Jacob Ochtervelt — The Music Lesson
