Painter in His Studio, Painting a Musical Company

Molenaer seems to comment on his own pictorial practice, as he frequently represented musical companies. The comic character of that genre and of this picture is signal led by the dwarf and the monkey, stock figures of comedy. Many self-portraits and paintings of studios featured musical instruments, as allusions to the inspiring qualities of music.

Molenaer had a penchant for painting dwarfs, that in this picture plays a conspicuous role.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 21 minutes): Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: A Musical Joke (Village Musicians) K 522