Woman Playing a Lute

Son of the sculptor Peter Begijn, or Beggijn, the artist went down in history with the name Bega, which could be a variation of his family name, or may have been a choice forced upon him as a result of his dissolute nature which caused him have brushes with the law. He was a pupil of Adriaen van Ostade, and although he did not equal the latter's fame, and despite being struck down by the plague when still young, he won the esteem of his contemporaries. While remaining faithful to the themes of his master (family scenes, tavern and domestic interiors) the artist did in fact break away from Van Ostade's style, softening the latter's marked tendency toward caricature with a more subtle humourism through which he created figures that were well characterized but in a dignified way set off by caricature.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 2 minutes): Francesco da Milano: Tre fantasie for lute