Description
Girl Interrupted at Her Music is a painting by Johannes Vermeer, probably made in 1658–1659: a young woman in red with a white headscarf sits at a table by a window and looks up from a sheet of music straight at us, while a man in dark clothes leans over her from behind. The original, oil on canvas, is 39.4 cm high and 44.5 cm wide and has been in the Frick Collection in New York since 1901. Our painter paints it to order in oil on canvas, in one of 8 landscape sizes from 50 x 45 to 190 x 160 cm or in a size you choose, and you receive a photograph of the finished painting before it ships.
| Title: | Girl Interrupted at Her Music |
| Other titles: | Onderbreking van de muziek · Die unterbrochene Musikstunde |
| Painter: | Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) |
| Year painted: | c. 1658–1659 |
| Original size: | 39.4 cm x 44.5 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Painting style: | Baroque, Dutch Golden Age |
| Located at: | The Frick Collection, New York (since 1901) |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas, 8 sizes or made to measure |
Girl Interrupted at Her Music – Johannes Vermeer
What does Girl Interrupted at Her Music show?
The scene is set in a well-to-do townhouse room, lit from the left by a window of many small panes. A young woman in a red dress, a white cloth over her hair, sits at the table with an open sheet of music in front of her. At this very moment she raises her head and looks at us, as though someone had just walked in.
Behind her a man in dark clothes bends towards her, as if pointing out the next line of music or whispering something. His face stays in shadow while hers turns to the light, so it is her eyes we meet first.
A cittern lies on the table beside a porcelain and silver wine jug, and behind the songbook, almost hidden, is a glass that is still full. A birdcage hangs by the window, and a dark, hazy painting hangs on the back wall.
The chairs, with carved lion heads, brass studs and a lozenge pattern, are thought to be Spanish. The couple probably belonged to a wealthy household, each with a collection of songbooks.
What story does the scene tell?
In the 17th century, love and music often went hand in hand. Making music together was one of the few ways young men and women could spend time in each other’s company, and the scene shows courtship as it was practised then.
In paintings of the period a glass of wine stood for good cheer, and for seduction too. Here it is full and untouched, which is read as a sign that the relationship between the two is moving slowly.
The hazy painting on the back wall shows Cupid. Readings vary: he may warn the couple about the dangers of love, his raised hand may mean one should have only one lover, or the blank card he holds may present love as a game. Because the canvas is damaged, we may never know what Vermeer meant by it.
And what interrupted the music? Vermeer does not say. Her straight look at the viewer makes us the intruder, and that unfinished story is what keeps the scene alive.
Why is Girl Interrupted at Her Music so well known?
Some experts once questioned whether the painting was by Vermeer at all. The precision of the light from the window was taken as proof that it is his.
Vermeer painted the same many-paned window in nine other works, among them Officer and Laughing Girl and The Music Lesson. Put them side by side and you recognise the same light and the same quiet room at once.
The writer Susanna Kaysen took the title of her book Girl, Interrupted from this painting, which is also one of its themes.
For more on its symbols, from the wine glass to the chairs, see the Wikipedia article (in English).
Where is the original kept?
The original is in New York, in the Frick Collection, where it has been since 1901. The canvas is 39.4 cm high and 44.5 cm wide, small enough to hold in two hands.
The painting has been heavily restored in the past. During the restoration of 1907 the Cupid on the back wall came to light; until then it had been covered by a layer showing a bare wall and a hanging violin. The chairs are among the few parts of the scene that the restoration did not damage.
Girl Interrupted at Her Music or another Vermeer?
This canvas painting suits a music room, a room with a piano or a bedroom: at heart it is a quiet scene between two people.
If you love scenes with music, also look at The Concert, in which three people make music together, or The Guitar Player, one of Vermeer’s late works, where a young woman plays alone and laughs.
Our Johannes Vermeer page gathers all the famous Vermeer paintings we paint to order.
How does our painter paint Girl Interrupted at Her Music?
We start as soon as your order arrives and build the painting in oil colours, one layer at a time. First the painter lays out the big light and dark areas: the window and wall in daylight, and the darker right side of the room with the table.
Then come the two figures: the red dress must glow without drowning out the face, and the man’s dark clothes must stay soft against the shadow. The young woman’s gaze gets the most care.
The small things come last, with a fine brush: the strings of the cittern, the gleam on the glass, the bars of the birdcage. The painter leaves the Cupid on the wall soft and hazy, as it appears on the original today.
The result is a Vermeer reproduction with visible brushstrokes that no print can imitate. Like any oil painting reproduction, it also changes with the daylight in your room.
Which size for which wall?
In short: 50 x 45 or 59 x 50 cm above a desk, beside a bed or on a narrow wall, 75 x 65 or 85 x 72 cm above a chest of drawers or a piano, 110 x 99 or 130 x 110 cm above a sofa, and 165 x 145 or 190 x 160 cm for a large empty wall.
There are 8 landscape sizes (width x height): 50 x 45, 59 x 50, 75 x 65, 85 x 72, 110 x 99, 130 x 110, 165 x 145 and 190 x 160 cm. The closest to the original is the smallest, 50 x 45 cm, which is 5.5 cm wider and 5.6 cm taller.
As a painting for the living room above a sofa, 110 x 99 cm works well; hang it with the bottom edge about 20 to 25 cm above the backrest.
Is another size or another frame possible?
Yes. At roughly 9 : 8, the composition also fits sizes not on the list without losing the window or the man at the edge. Tell us the width and height you want, and we will reply with a price and a delivery time.
We ship Girl Interrupted at Her Music rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or ready framed. Our workshop in Slovenia does the stretching and framing, the same way it prepares every painting we send out. The frame is picked in our 3D application, which serves only that purpose; a view of the painting on your own wall is a separate service.
When will my painting arrive?
We begin right after you order, and within 15 to 45 working days the painting is ready to ship. Before it leaves you receive a photograph of the finished painting, and if you would like something changed, we see to it.
There are no customs within Slovenia or to other EU countries, and our returns policy applies to every order.
This scene of two young people over their music makes a lovely gift for a couple on an anniversary, for a musician or for a piano teacher. Or let the recipient pick the size with a wall art voucher.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see the original?
In the Frick Collection in New York, where the painting has been since 1901.
Who is the man behind the girl?
Judging by his fashionable clothes, probably a man of the upper class; his name is not known.
What is in the painting on the back wall?
Cupid, who only reappeared during the restoration of 1907.
Is it a print or handmade?
Handmade: every one is a hand-painted copy, done in oil paint on canvas.
How big is the original?
It is 39.4 cm high and 44.5 cm wide; our smallest size, 50 x 45 cm, is the closest.
Does it suit a bedroom?
Yes, a quiet scene of two people and their music suits a bedroom, a music room or a dining room.
Can I order it in a different size?
Yes, we also paint it in the size you want; we tell you the price and the time needed.
How long will I wait for it?
From 15 to 45 working days; before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished painting.
- Subject: a young woman in red looks up at us from her music while a man in dark clothes leans over her; a cittern, a wine jug and a glass stand on the table.
- Original: c. 1658–1659, oil on canvas, 39.4 x 44.5 cm, The Frick Collection, New York.
- Ours: hand-painted in oil on canvas to your order: 8 landscape sizes from 50 x 45 to 190 x 160 cm or a size of your own.
- Worth knowing: Susanna Kaysen named her book after the title of this painting.
