A Musical Company with a Fortune-Teller
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.This grandly scaled, complicated composition was commissioned by the diamond thief Fabrizio Valguarnera, as was Judgment of Solomon, on view in the last gallery. With reluctance, Valentin agreed to paint it and created what at first looks like a medley of his greatest hits but which, in fact, contains an allusion to the five senses, as recognized by its seventeenth-century owners, among whom was William III of Orange. The gypsy holding her customer’s hand represents touch; the soldier of fortune pouring himself a glass of wine symbolizes taste; the musicians embody the delights of hearing; the dreamy gaze of the youth signifies sight; and the dog who has poked his head into the scene, sniffing, represents smell.
Artwork Details
- Title: A Musical Company with a Fortune-Teller
- Artist: Valentin de Boulogne (French, Coulommiers-en-Brie 1591–1632 Rome)
- Date: 1631
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 74 13/16 × 105 1/8 in. (190 × 267 cm)
Frame: 87 3/8 × 117 1/8 × 4 15/16 in. (222 × 297.5 × 12.5 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Liechtenstein, The Princely Collections, Vaduz and Vienna
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings